Safety design review process can be defined as a systematic approach that is used to identify potential hazards, assess associated risks and review the readiness and effectiveness of risk control measures ( In Gullo & In Dixon, 2018 ). The process is critical for ensuring the safety of personnel and all the equipment within a processing plant. It is imperative to note that safety in this case is used to improve the overall safety of each piece of equipment or machine even in times when the facility goes through an upgrade in the design process. During these changes, all the variables are considered before new machines or processes are constructed or installed. Safety that is incorporated during upgrade phase is more costly as compared to that which is done at the design stage. For safety design review process to be effective, assessments are done at specific times in such a way that they eliminate potential hazards at the workplace in relation to new equipment, facility updates and process equipment.
The process is inclusive of risk and hazards assessments and a comprehensive compliance evaluation. It is also important to note that the safety designs are evaluated based on the government’s applicable regulations and existing industry standards. Manuele (2013) notes that safety will be achieved if the design is compliant with the requirements and also if all the entire process is reviewed from the basic operator tasks to the actual control measures to be adopted. For new processes, safety design reviews are conducted at specific stages of the projects progress and also at the end of the implementation stage. For those that are already existing, the procedure is done every four to five years if the risk of operating the plant is on a normal level. High risk facilities require reviews to be done every two years so that changes are made based on the updates in the firm.
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One of the main importance of a safety management system is that it ensures the design and installation of a process plant is compliant with the safety guidelines and standards of the industry ( Manuele, 2013 ). At the end of the day, it not only ensures safety, but also addresses other important aspects of operation such as environmental and health issues. In addition to this, it also provides room for old plants to modify and upgrade their systems with the confidence that the processes will be critically reviewed to ensure safety and operability. In the long run, it reduces the possibility of injuries, illnesses, and different forms of damage to the environment as a result of daily operations. In other words, the goal of these procedures is to mitigate the occurrence of risks and reduce hazards at the workplace.
A proper design is very effective in anticipating potential hazards and finding the appropriate means of avoiding them at the workplace to ensure maximum safety at a facility ( In Gullo & In Dixon, 2018 ). Another importance of a safety management process is that it ensures that a firm operates in compliance with the standards that have been set in the industry and by the government. In the long run, this contains the project costs and reduces the need to completely change an existing system as a result of unidentified hazards. Operating costs are therefore reduced as productivity is increased.
Safety management systems serve as effective tools of reducing risks at the workplace. A safety management systems approach will therefore entail all the processes and procedures that are used to identify, analyze and mitigate the aforementioned hazards during operations. It can therefore be viewed as the strategy that makes it possible for a facility to ensure safety of its employees and equipment.
References
In Gullo, L. J., & In Dixon, J. (2018). Design for safety . New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Manuele, F. A. (2013). On the practice of safety . Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley.
