Actions to Encourage Safe Behavior and Improve Human Reliability

Abstract:

<>Monsanto do Brazil - São Jose dos Campos plant is a Chemical Industry in the Herbicide segment, and as a chemical company has been working to improve the reliability of its employees and facilities.

<>The site has robust and solid programs to prevent accidents to its employees and partners. These programs are part of the company culture.

In 2005 a process safety accident occurred in another site of Monsanto motivated the company to put efforts in Human Reliability.  Since 2006 the company has been implementing actions to enhance the results in Process Safety considering human factors.     

Based on the accident investigation report some topics were selected to be developed in order to reach a better reliability of its employees. The topics were:

·         Alarms Management

·         Selecting and Hiring Processes

·         Employees' Training

·         Incident Investigation

·         Control Room Layout

·         Operational Discipline

For each topic was developed a guideline setting requirements and processes to guarantee

consistency in safe practices and behaviors.

 The basis of the Human Reliability Program is the Operational Discipline which considers as key factors knowledge, commitment, awareness and infrastructure.

·         Knowledge

Knowledge is the capacity of employee to perform his/her activity correctly and safely according to procedures and rules. It can be measured by written and practical evaluations in training situations or in his daily routine.

A process to select and hire people was defined seeking for evidences of knowledge, experience and safe behavior.

The guideline Employees' Training defines requirements for each role, including frequency to be retrained, content of each training and minimum level to be approved.

·         Commitment

Commitment is the involvement of each employee in following the procedure and rules to perform his/her activity. The commitment can be evaluated by training lists, lists of acknowledgements, list of periodic certifications, or through performance assessments.

In order to document the commitment a written statement was created and periodically all the employees must sign it.

·         Awareness

The ability of an individual to recognize and control risks has a very important role in the operational discipline program. This ability shall be developed and assessed constantly. The development of this ability occurs through trainings and experience.

The awareness depends on knowledge and commitment, and it can be proven in simulation type trainings, or real situations of the daily routine.

To develop this ability in the operators who perform activities that involves automatic process control was issued a guideline for process simulation. The intention of this guideline is to provide experience to operators through process' scenarios' simulations.

            Awareness shall be monitored by performance assessments, and whenever suitable, development plans shall be proposed aiming at improving knowledge, commitment, and the ability of anticipating and recognizing abnormal situations.

 

·         Infrastructure

            Improvements in the plant infrastructure have been done in order to favor the correct and safe performance of activities. In this regard, programs aiming at improving cleaning and organization have been implemented and maintained. These programs define organization and cleaning standards, as well as inspections, verification, and audits for monitoring the fulfillment of standards.

            In order to better support the infrastructure improvements two guidelines were issued: Alarms Management and Control Room Layout.

·         Program Indicators / Assessments

            The program will be periodically assessed, and this assessment will be carried out in the Integrated Management System analysis.

            The assessment of the program will focus on barrier elimination for the fulfillment of the program, always aiming at simplification of procedures, adoption of new technologies that favor the safe performance of activities and continuous improvement of the organization and cleaning. The employee level of capacitating and commitment will also be taken into account during assessment.

            In order to monitor the program the ESH indicators in place can be used, however, focusing on the program concepts.

            Examples:

- Number of reportable accidents where the operational discipline was not suitable;

- Number of nonconformities in audits related to operational discipline;

- Percentage of concluded trainings;

- Number of leaks where the operational discipline was not suitable.