Blah, Blah, Blah!!! - Effective Individual and Team Communication Lead to Effective PHAs

Blah, Blah, Blah!!! - Effective Individual and Team Communication Lead To Effective PHAs

Mr. John T. Perez, P.E.

Ms. Ashley Bourne

Mr. Andrew Madewell

Cognascents Consulting Group, Inc.

11777-A Katy Fwy Ste 438

Houston, TX 77079

john.perez@cognascents.com

Keywords: Hazard and Operability Study (HAZOP), hazard identification, Insights ® Discovery, Layer of Protection Analysis (LOPA), Process Hazard Analysis (PHA), Process Safety Management (PSM), risk assessment, risk management, team communication, team effectiveness.

Abstract

Process hazards analyses are structured, team-based exercises focused on hazard identification, risk assessment, and risk management.  A competent facilitator serves a multi-disciplined team in applying the appropriate PHA methodology to identify, assess, and safeguard vulnerabilities.  PHAs help a business define its overall risk profile and subsequently its overall strategy. 

The various generally-accepted PHA methodologies are fairly well-defined by industry and company-specific guidance documents.  PHA methodologies are processes that have evolved in response to societal norms, organizational culture shifts, and ever-changing regulatory requirements.  Unlike PHA methodologies, which are typically bound by rule-sets and scope definition, multi-disciplined teams made up of diverse individuals are typically unbound when it comes to behavioral norms and personality types.  Hence, as with any process, it is not the documented protocols that define the effectiveness of a process.  It is the people leading, establishing, applying, and using the outputs of a process that determine its effectiveness.  Hence, a PHA methodology is only as effective as the team involved.

Many factors influence team performance, no matter the task.  Communication is often touted as the most critical factor for effective team performance.  Hence, team communication is critical for effective application of a PHA methodology.  But what is communication?  More importantly, what is effective communication?  Can a team's ability to communicate be assessed prior to attempting to apply a PHA methodology?  If so, what safeguards can be put in place to protect against communication vulnerabilities at both the individual and team levels?

In this paper, the authors posit a team's communication capacity and potential can be assessed prior to starting a PHA.  Specifically, the authors provide insight through case study and idea synthesis of potential individual and team communication vulnerabilities and safeguards.  They also present tools and recommendations to enhance team communication and subsequently PHA quality, which bear directly on operational, organizational, and commercial integrity.

The target audience for this paper is anyone whose responsibilities include (1) leading within an organization that uses PHAs, (2) establishing PHA guidance documents, (3) applying PHA methodologies, and (4) reviewing PHA outputs and reports; however, anyone who works on a team will benefit from this paper's content.