Process safety guidance for health and safety professionals
11th January 2016
The Safety Institute of Australia and the Australian OHS Education Accreditation Board, together with the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) Safety Centre, have announced a joint project to develop a chapter on process safety for the OHS Body of Knowledge for Generalist OHS Professionals.
The chapter will be produced by a technical panel - comprising process safety engineers and generalist OHS (Occupational Health and Safety) professionals. Focusing on process safety competences for generalist OHS professions, the chapter will also be developed as part of a larger process safety competency framework.
Trish Kerin, director of the IChemE Safety Centre said; “The collaboration is an opportunity to improve the approach to Process Safety generally, as it will focus on key competencies that are essential for professionals in general health and safety roles.”
Pam Pryor, Registrar of the Australian OHS Education Accreditation Board, custodian of the OHS Body of Knowledge said: “This development is really exciting, as it recognises the role of the generalist in supporting process safety, and will provide a conceptual knowledge base - including effective liaison with engineers.”
She continued: “Some professionals in generalist OHS roles have an engineering background. However, analysis of recent process engineering disasters has shown that all generalists operating in high-risk environments should have this foundation knowledge. The ability to identify issues, contribute a unique perspective, and engage with process safety specialists is essential to for managing safety in such environments.“
Work on the chapter will commence in February with a workshop for the technical panel. The publication is planned for release in late 2016.