Need for HSE Management System

Regulations alone are not enough to maintain a very high

level of safety in petroleum and allied industries,
which have many inherent hazards.

In order to prevent major accidents and mishaps and to

win confidence of general public,
management leadership and commitment is very
essential.

Even for implementing and compliance of regulatory

measures, a committed leadership is necessary.

This can be achieved by establishing an effective and

efficient Health, Safety and Environment (HSE)
Management System
HSE Management Profile

There are certain characteristics of an integrated

HSE management system that should be in place
to ensure that the system functions most
efficiently and effectively.

These characteristics are sufficiently generic to

apply to any type of petroleum installation -
whether an offshore or onshore oil / gas
exploration and production facility, a refinery or
a petrochemical complex, bulk or retail
marketing outlet, etc.
Important features of an effective and efficient HSE
Management System are:
HSE Policy
Every organization must have a written policy on health, safety
and environment signed by the Head of the organization with
date.

The copies of this policy should be displayed at prominent

places in the organization so that everybody is familiar with its
contents/intentions.

Some organizations ensure that every employee receives a

copy of its HSE policy.

HSE policy spells out the values, beliefs and commitments of

the organization towards health, safety of its employees,
community and at the macro level of the nation.
What does HSE POLICY Contain?

4. Health and safety of personnel and protection of environment

override all production targets of organization.

6. Production and HSE are complementary to each other.

8. Safety and environment protection is everybody's business in

the organization.

10. All statutory requirements must be complied with at all times.

12. All personnel must use approved safe working procedures

without making any risky short cuts.

14. All personnel - owner or contractors - must be given relevant

training before assigning them work
What does HSE POLICY Contain? (Cont..)
1. All plants, facilities and work procedures/ systems must be
audited periodically by in-house teams as well as external
agencies.
3. Plant and ambient environment as well as various effluents must
be monitored continuously to maintain a clean and safe
environment in and around the plant.
5. A very high standard of house keeping must be maintained at all
places of work-plants, offices and facilities.
7. Every employee must be subjected to medical check-up for early
identification and treatment of any occupational health hazard.
9. All employees must keep abreast with the latest codes,
standards and practices on health, safety and environment.

11. All accidents, however small, must be investigated and followed

up. The lessons learnt from these accidents should be
disseminated to all levels of workforce
 What does HSE POLICY Contain? (Cont..)

1. No modifications in plant, facilities will be done without proper

scrutiny and approval by an authorized person(s)
3. No contractor will be engaged without ascertaining his safety
performance / record

5. Non-compliance of this policy will attract severe disciplinary

action
HSE Organization

It is important that the Chief of HSE should

report to the Head of the organization in order to
have HSE management of an organization an
efficient and effective.

HSE should be an advisory function reporting to

the top management and all other officials
should be directly responsible for Health, Safety
and Environment activities pertaining to their
respective departments.
HSE Organization ( Cont..)
If HSE Chief occupies a junior position in the
organizational hierarchy, he cannot work without
fear or clash of interest with other functional
managers.

HSE Chief should have authority and importance

say in the decision making process. Even some
regulatory agencies also recommend HSE Chief
reporting directly to the Head of the organization.

HSE Chief should be a qualified engineer with

long experience in various functions.
HSE Organization ( Cont..)

He should have a team of qualified professionals

to advise on safety, occupational health, fire
protection and environment.

The number of professionals in HSE will depend

on the size and diversity of the organization.
Custodianship / Ownership

Health, Safety and Environmental management is

a teamwork. Every member of the team
contributes in maintaining a high level of safety in
his area of work.

In order to manage HSE effectively in a petroleum

installation or complex which is usually a large
entity it is important and desirable to demarcate
each area of the installation / complex and assign
the ownership / custodianship to a senior member
of the concerned area.
Custodianship/Ownership ( Cont..)
These areas are commonly called safety districts.
A big petroleum complex may have 10-15 safety
districts.
These districts should be shown on the layout
drawing of the complex with all the boundaries
clearly identified and marked.
The objective of safety districts is to decentralize
the HSE responsibility to the functional owner/
custodian of the area who is fully responsible and
accountable for all management functions in his
district.
Plans and Procedures
Plans and procedures are the basis of setting up
an effective and efficient management system.
A large number of industrial accidents and
mishaps have occurred all over the world due to
human errors and the main cause of these errors
has been the lack of written procedures and/or
non-compliance of the same.
In some cases, courts have penalized the
organizations because victims of the accident
did not have written procedures to be followed
by them.
Plans and Procedures ( Cont..)

It is essential that well-written and approved

operating and safety procedures of all important
activities/functions performed in any petroleum
installation are in place and the same are strictly
followed.
No short cuts to these procedures should be
allowed.
The various HSE related procedures should be
developed broadly based on Process Safety
Management System, PSM, which is a well-
known framework of HSE management all over
the world.
Plans and Procedures ( Cont..)
All these procedures should be compiled in the form of
an HSE manual - many times called the HSE bible.
The procedures relevant to a particular installation should
be identified and documented clearly in simple language
so that everybody working in the installation understands
these.
These procedures should also be accessible to all
concerned.
The procedures should be revised and updated
periodically to reflect changes that might have taken
place over time.
(A) Safety Related Procedures
Basic safety rules for employees, contractors and visitors

Safe work permit system

Pre-start up safety review

Entering and working in confined spaces

Working at height

Safe scaffolding and ladders

Safe evacuation

Safe handling of hazardous substances

Safe handling of hydrogen sulfide, chlorine, ammonia etc.

(A) Safety Related Procedures ( Cont.)

Safe uses of hoses

Contactor safety

Radiation safety

Traffic safety inside and outside the installation

Safe use of cranes, hoists and other mechanical devices

Safety in manual handling of material

Accident/ incident reporting and investigation

Selection and safe use of personnel protective equipment

Safe transportation of hazardous materials by road, water and rail

Management of plant changes and procedures

Environment Related Procedures

Air Pollution Control and Monitoring

Effluent Monitoring

Industrial Wastes Management

Biodegradable and Office Wastes Management

Fugitive Emission Monitoring

Ground Water Monitoring

Environment Inspection and Audit

Occupational Health Related Procedures

Health Care System

Medical Management of Obnoxious Substances
Hygiene and Sanitation
First-aid
Health Risk Assessment
Pre-employment and Regular Medical Checks
Wellness and Fitness Programme for Employees and
Families
Emergency Medical Care
Fire Protection Related Procedures
Fire Services Organization and Job Specifications

Fire and Emergency Turnouts

Rescue Operations

Mutual Aid Scheme

Inspection and Maintenance of Fire Protection

Systems

Emergency Drills and Fire Training

Safe Use of Self Contained Breathing Apparatus

and Other Life Saving Devices
Basic Safety Rules
It is absolutely necessary that all employees,
contractors, visitors, vendors and other third parties
must be fully aware of some basic safety requirements to
be followed inside the installation because of inherent
hazards in a petroleum installation,

Management should document these basic rules/

requirements and anybody entering the premises must
be made familiar with the same.

This document should address following items related to

the health, safety and environment aspects of the
installation:
Basic Safety Rules ( Cont)

Access/entry to the premises

Prohibition of smoking, alcohol and drugs
Restriction on naked lights, sparks, use of
cameras and mobile phones
Traffic control
Use of Personnel Protective Equipment, PPE

Safe Work Permit System

Accident/Incident reporting
Basic Safety Rules ( Cont)

Maintaining good house keeping standard

Basic colour codes of piping/equipment, etc.

Electrical safety

Hazards of flammable products & Chemicals

Emergency Alarms & Communication & what to

do in such situations

General Dos & donts

Basic Rules for Visitors:

As a bare minimum requirement, every visitor to

the premises must be given a safety briefing
before giving him an entry pass.

A safety briefing developed by petroleum

refinery can be:
Access /Entry to the Premises
Visitors should report to security gate for entry pass

Every person must display a valid identification

badge issued by the security

Visitor should visit the designated area only for

which he has obtained the entry pass

He should be accompanied by a company employee

It is forbidden to take children inside the premises

Tobacco / Alcohol Restrictions:
The entire Refinery is a tobacco Free Zone

Tobacco in any form cigarettees , biddies,

gutka etc. Is prohibited

Use of alcohol and drugs is prohibited

Regulations on Naked Lights and Sparks

Matchboxes, lighters, flashlights and cameras

are not allowed inside the premises

Use of 100% nylon or synthetic clothes inside

the premises is prohibited
Traffic Rules
Vehicles should have valid access pass to enter the
premises

All vehicles entering hazardous areas should have

spark arrestor and a unit entry permit

Maximum speed limit inside the premises is 30 km/hr

Park the vehicle at designated places

Overtaking is prohibited

In case of an emergency alarm, stop the vehicle and

take to the side of the road and wait for clearance
General Rules:
Visitor shall be responsible for his own safety

Photography inside is prohibited

Never go to the site in case of any fire or other

emergency

Visitor is not allowed to touch any equipment or

interfere with the plant activities

All persons must wear safety helmets and safe shoes

in process areas. Requirement of any other personal
protective equipment will be advised by plant personnel

Use following telephone nos. in case required: Fire l00

Security 101, Medical 102
Permit to Work System
Introduction

If precautions are not taken during the work and while

handling equipment for repair/ inspection, it can lead to
serious accidents or mishaps as petroleum operations are
hazardous in nature. e.g.

(7)An explosion can take place if a leaking pipeline is not

completely isolated and made hydrocarbon free and a
welder tries to weld it.

(2) An electrician can get electrocuted if he works on

electrical switchgear without removing its fuses on the
supply line and if someone by mistake switched on the
supply.
Permit to Work System
(3) Any one can catch fire if he is involved in smoking or
he uses any open flame like lighter/ match box etc near
the Well Head.. (An area within 30 mts. of the Well Head
should be treated as danger zone).

Thus, every petroleum installation must have an

approved Permit to Work System in place.

The permit is an official record of safe working

conditions agreed upon by the issuer and
acceptor of the permit for carrying out any
maintenance, repair, inspection or modification
work.
Types of Permits
Various permits applicable in a petroleum installation
are listed below:

Cold Work Permit

Hot Work Permit

Confined Space Entry / Work Permit

Excavation Permit

Permit to Work on Electrical Equipment

Permit for Closure of Roads

Permit for using a Radioactive Source

Types of Permits ( Cont..)

Permit for Working Over / Under Water

Vehicle/Crane Entry Permit

Permit for Photography

Rock Blasting Operations Permit

Elements of a Typical Work Permit
Every installation should design work permit formats as
per its requirement and nature of activities.

OISD and NSC give guidelines for designing work permit

formats. Some important elements of a typical work permit
are as below:

7.Type of permit
8.Date, time of issue and validity
9.Description of location where work is to be
carried out
10. Brief description of the work
11. Detailed safety precautions to be taken
Elements of a Typical Work Permit( Cont.)

3.Name and signatures of person(s) issuing the

permit

5.Name and signature of the person receiving the

permit

7.Authorization by senior management person

depending on seriousness of the hazard

9.Declaration of completion of job by the receiver

with date and time.
Permit Procedure
A work permit is generally issued by an operating
supervisor called the issuer of the permit to the
maintenance supervisor or a contractor, called
the acceptor of the permit after ensuring all the
necessary precautions.
The nature and location work to be done must be
clearly specified in the permit by the issuer who
should explain and show the same to the
accepter.
The issuer & the accepter of the permit must be
clear regarding the precautions to be followed
during work.
Permit Procedure ( Cont.)
After the completion of the work, both parties ( issuer & acceptor)
must sign the permit to certify that the work has been completed as
intended.
Some of the precautions that are required to be taken for giving
different work permits are as below:
(5)Inspection of location of work.
(6) Making the equipment free of HC & other hazardous material .
(7) Cleaning the equipment
(8) Testing the atmosphere for explosives & toxic gases.
(9) Isolation of radioactive sources.
(10) Covering Drains and Manholes
(11) Putting proper tags/notices/warnings etc.
(12) Providing proper illumination and ventilation.
(13) Barricading the area
(14) Providing necessary PPE
(15) Providing proper scaffolding and ladders for working at height.
(16) Providing fire fighting equipment
(17) Providing standby rescue team
Management of Plant Changes
Introduction
Over the period of time, a process industry may require
several changes /modifications to increase capacity,
reduce specific consumption of raw materials, increase
energy efficiency and improve HSE performance.

Many serious accidents can occur if changes are made

in plants, processes and/or management systems without
proper scrutiny and review of any unforeseen effects.

A classical example is the famous Flixiborough

( Disaster in chemical plant, England, 1st June, 1974).
It is Imperative that every petroleum installation must
have an approved written procedure for undertaking
changes /modifications to avoid any adverse safety
repercussion.
Definition of Plant Changes
The following activities are considered as plant changes

Addition, deletion, alteration and relocation of

equipment, piping, instruments, material of construction
etc.
Introduction of any new chemical in the plant
Any Change in the lifting Device
Any change in Fire detection and protection system,
Electrical Wiring etc.
Training & Its Validation:
Training is an essential part of any HSE Management
program of petroleum industry to ensure safety.
The training on HSE is given to all employees new
and also those who are already working, contractors,
third parties and visitors to propagate the basic concepts
of environmental management.
The extent of training depends on the target group.
Leaflets and bulletins are published and circulated for
general awareness.
The training received by the new employees and
contractors is called the initial training which includes
comprehensive classroom and practical training in the
various HSE procedures applicable installation like basic
Fire Fighting Training before he is assigned any work.
Training & Its Validation ( Cont..)
Third parties like Truck Drivers carrying products in / out
of the installation and various vendors should also be
given HSE training so that they understand the basic
safety rules to be followed in the installation.
Every vehicle carrying
hazardous goods must display products technical name
Similarly, visitors should be given a safety brief before
entry into the installation so that they dont do something
unknowingly that may put themselves or others into
danger.

Many good Companies issue entry passes / ID cards to

those entering the premises only after they have received
the required HSE training
Training & Its Validation ( Cont..)
Methodology Of Training:

HSE training should be a mix of theoretical classroom

lectures & practical training in the use of various fire and
safety equipment and appliances.

Extensive use of audio visual aids is used for effective

training.

To ensure that a candidate has understood the

instructions, some validation is a must. This can be
achieved through an objective test at the end of training
lession.
Accident Reporting and Investigation
In spite of good systems in place and people taking all
precautions while doing their work, the possibility of an
accident can not be ruled out.

Thus, it is necessary that each organization should have

a good accident reporting and investigating system in
place.

Many people, at times, tend to look at accident

investigation as an exercise to collect some facts for the
sole objective of putting blame on someone for his errors
and omissions to set an example.
But, in fact, accident investigation should be a learning
process to prevent accidents and for many other
purposes.
A proper investigation helps to identify the root cause (s)
of an accident enabling the management to take
appropriate corrective measures.
The objectives of an accident investigation are listed
below:

4.To Define the root cause (s) of the accident to take appropriate
corrective measures

6.To Define management errors

8. To Define operating errors

10.To Prevent further accidents 12.To
Educate Management and Staff

14.To Identify violations of company procedures

16.To Satisfy insurance requirements

18.To Satisfy News Media

Methodology of Accident Investigations
The first step is to have a proper accident reporting system.

In this direction, every petroleum installation should make a

standard procedure for notification and reporting of any accident to
the concerned officials of the installation and outside agencies.

This procedure should list the contact telephone numbers of key

people. These numbers should be displayed at prominent locations
in the installation.

Whenever an accident takes place howsoever small, it must be

investigated.

The investigation team should be set up which should go into all

details .

If required, external help of a professional accident investigator

can be taken.
Methodology of Accident Reporting & Investigations
( Cont..)

The team should make an honest report so that right decisions can
be taken. Many a times investigations done by internal teams are not
very objective.

If we have to learn from an accident and take proper corrective

actions to avoid recurrence, the investigation report must be frank and
unbiased.

There should be a system to follow up the investigation report.

Management should ensure that an agreed upon actions are

completed in a time frame.

The lessons learnt from the accidents should be disseminated to all

the concerned personnel in the complex.
HEALTH, SAFETY & ENVIRONMENTAL AUDIT

Statistics show that the root cause of many major

accidents and mishaps all over the world is human error.

And the main cause of human errors has been the lack of
written procedures and /or non-compliance of the same.

Many a times systems /procedures are not followed and

hardware is not maintained, inspected and tested as
intended.

Sometimes the procedures are bypassed because of

negligence & over- confidence.
HEALTH, SAFETY & ENVIRONMENTAL AUDIT

Auditing is required to exercise control on the

total HSE Management System and ensure that
the systems are working effectively and a
desired level of Health, Safety & Environmental
Standards are maintained as per the
requirements of the Company policy and
statutory requirements. Such Audits are
conducted periodically.
Objectives of Audits
Major objectives of audits are:
To ensure that all statutory requirements are met fully.
To ensure that set procedures are complete, up to date
and compliant with applicable standards, codes,
company policies, good engineering and process safety
practices.
To ensure that the management systems in place are
effective.
To identify opportunities where the systems and
procedures can be strengthened.
To check on the training & preparedness of personnel
to handle any emergency situations
To Cater to public opinion.
Types of Audits
HSE audits are broadly categorized as:

(5) Internal audits

(6) External audits.

Internal Audits
Internal audits can be periodic detailed audits of an
installation conducted by a multi-disciplinary team drawn
from various departments of the installation.

In a company having more than one site, inter-site audits

by combined teams drawn from various sites can also be
a good method of conducting internal audits.
Internal Audits ( Cont..)

An internal audit may take 3-4 days by a team of 4 - 5

professionals from different disciplines.

The audit team reviews the systems, procedures and

facilities for complete and updated documentation and
their compliance.

Each plant /facility of an installation should be audited

every two to three years.

Besides detail or comprehensive internal audits, there

are mini audits.
 Internal Audits ( Cont..)
A mini safety audit is of short duration (typically 2-3 hours)
conducted by a two - men team using checklists to ensure the
compliance of a particular procedure at a time.

Such audits are done more frequently to cover various

procedures relevant to the installation.

This is a very useful and quick method of finding the

weaknesses/ deficiencies in the system.

Another type of internal audits is called BSC audits. These are

self-audits based on British Safety Council's standard
checklists. Each plant/department maintains these checklists
for various systems pertaining to its activities.
External Audits

The external audits are done by outside or third parties

approved by statutory authorities to meet the
requirements under various statuary rules and
regulations.

In leading companies, external audits are done not

only to meet statutory requirements but also to bring
in a fresh approach and additional objectivity through a
third eye.

The external audits are supplementary to the internal

audits.
Some typical external audit agencies approved by
various statutory, authorities include:

3.OISD

5. British Safety Council

7. National Environmental Engineering Research

Institute, NEERI

9. Central Labour Research Institute

11. Loss Prevention Association, LPA

13. National Safety Council, NSC

15. Engineers India Limited, EIL

1. Lloyds Register of Shipping

3. Det Norske Veritas

5. Comet Consultancy Services

7. Netal Chromatographs

9. KLG/TNO

11. SGS India Limited

Methodology of Audits
Though each external audit agency might have its own
methodology and approach to conduct an audit, a
common methodology for conducting internal audits is
given below
Composition/SelectionofAuditTeam
The team for a comprehensive internal audit comprise
member each from operation, engineering / maintenance,
technical services / technology, HSE and any other
specific discipline if required.
The chief of the installation through an office order
nominates the team.
The team comprises of two members - one from the area /
department to be audited and the other from HSE.
Conducting the Audit

To start with, the team holds a kick-off meeting to

discuss the plan of action.
They try to collect all relevant data of the area / plant
/ department they are going to audit.
The team visits the area and talks to various personnel
there to get feedback about their plant / area.
The team checks the various systems / procedures and
records. The safety aspects of the plant are checked
using checklists.
Conducting the Audit ( Cont..)

These checklists could be standard lists made as part of a

written audit procedure and supplemented by specific checklists
made for special systems/equipment by each team before
starting the audit.
Checklists are very useful as they save a lot of time and also to
ensure that all aspects or sub-systems have been looked into and
not missed.
In case of mini audits, the two-men team goes to the area where
audit is to be done.
The team ensures the compliance of the procedure under audit
by using a standard checklist made for the particular procedure
They check the level of compliance by talking to the plant
personnel and seeing the situation in the field and rate the item
on a 1-5 scale (1 is least compliant, 5 full compliance).
The overall compliance level is indicated in percentage.
Audit Report

After completing an audit, the team prepares a draft

report which is presented to the custodian / manager
of the area and his team.

After discussion, the final report with action plan for

implementing the agreed recommendations is issued
by the leader of the audit team to the concerned action
parties with copies to top management team.
Follow-up

The effectiveness of the audit lies in the degree of

implementation of the agreed recommendation.

Therefore it is essential to monitor the implementation

programme. HSE plays a pivotal role in monitoring the
recommendation; of various audits and presenting the
implementation status to the top management.