Hard Times for These Times

Dateline: August 2021

Story-Telling

Most of the people reading posts such as this are aware that earlier this month the IPCC issued an alarming report on climate change that should make society change its ways. Failure to do so could lead to catastrophe and a possible breakdown of civilization within just 20 years. Yet nothing happened; the report changed almost nothing. It was just a blip in the torrent of news that we face every day.

Safety Moment #69: That Would Be Telling

The Kletz Legacy

One of the founders of the process safety discipline was Trevor Kletz (1922-2013). Probably his best eulogy is also the simplest, "He saved lives."

As we reflect on Trevor's contributions it is clear that one of his greatest gifts was that of telling stories. He wrote extensively on technical topics such as hazards analysis and inherent safety, but he is probably best remembered for his story-telling books such as Learning from Accidents and What Went Wrong? Human beings learn best from stories and Trevor knew it.

Safety Moment #84: Prestartup / Operational Readiness Reviews

The purpose of a Prestartup / Operational Readiness Review (PSR) is to ensure that initial start-ups, or start-ups following major project work, proceed safely and smoothly. In particular, the PSR will check to make sure that all project activities are complete and that the system is ready for safe operation. It is a tool that the operations and maintenance departments use to make ensure that they have received what they expected to receive from the project team, and that no corners were cut, particularly with regard to safety.

Safety Moment #82: Confined Space Entry

A Confined Space is a space which is large enough for a worker to enter but has limited openings for entry and exit and is not intended for continuous employee occupancy. Entry is considered to have occurred as soon as any part of the entrant's body breaks the plane of an opening into the space. Therefore it is not permissible, for example, to take a quick breath and to put one's head into a vessel for a quick look without having an entry permit. Wherever possible work should be organized such that it can be carried out without anyone needing to enter the confined space.