CHEMICAL MANUFACTURING

Process Safety Is Not a Program. It Is the Whole Operation.

PSM and EPA Risk Management Program compliance, reactive chemistry hazard review, RCRA generator obligations and the mechanical integrity work that actually consumes the effort.

Book a 20-minute call See what is involved

PSM 14 elementsRMP EPA programRCRA generator statusReactive chemistry
WHERE CHEMICAL OPERATIONS FAIL

Rarely on the hazard that was studied. Usually on the one that changed.

Management of change is the weak point

Process changes made under commercial pressure without a documented MOC are the single most common contributing factor in serious chemical incidents. Temporary changes that quietly became permanent are the classic pattern.

Mechanical integrity is chronically under-resourced

Inspection and test schedules for covered equipment with defined acceptance criteria, documented results and deficiency correction. This element consumes more labor than the rest combined and is the most commonly deficient.

Reactive hazards not formally evaluated

Incompatible material combinations, thermal stability and runaway potential frequently have no documented assessment, particularly for processes developed in house over time.

Process safety information drifted from reality

Piping diagrams that do not match the field, relief system design basis missing or unverifiable, and chemical data assembled once and never revisited.

PHA recommendations left open

Open recommendations from a hazard analysis conducted years ago are close to indefensible after an incident, and they are extremely common.

RCRA obligations grew with production

Generator status, accumulation time, container management, tank standards and contingency planning all scale with volume. Status changes go unnoticed until an inspection.

WHAT WE DO

We work the elements that carry the exposure, in order.

Applicability first — PSM, RMP and RCRA generator status documented rather than assumed. Then the three elements that produce the incidents: process safety information accuracy, mechanical integrity, and management of change with a pre-startup review that actually gates startup.

We facilitate PHAs and revalidations with your operations and maintenance people in the room, run the three-year compliance audit with a closure process, and build the RCRA program alongside it because the same personnel carry both.

Scope

  • PSM and RMP applicability determination
  • Process safety information assembly and field verification
  • PHA and HAZOP facilitation and revalidation
  • Mechanical integrity program and inspection schedules
  • Management of change and pre-startup safety review
  • Reactive chemistry hazard evaluation
  • RCRA generator compliance and contingency planning
  • Three-year compliance audit with findings closure
FAQ

Chemical manufacturing questions

Do PSM and RMP require separate programs?

They overlap substantially but are not identical, with different covered chemicals, thresholds and an offsite consequence analysis and public reporting requirement under RMP. Build them together, maintain the differences deliberately.

How often must a PHA be revalidated?

At least every five years, and revalidation must genuinely account for changes since the last study rather than restating it.

What is the most common serious finding?

Mechanical integrity documentation — inspections performed without recorded acceptance criteria and results, or deficiencies identified and never closed.

Can you facilitate a HAZOP?

Yes. Facilitation with your own operators and maintenance personnel in the room is where the value is; a study run only with engineering misses how the plant actually runs.

What about combustible dust in powder handling?

In scope. Dust hazard analysis, ignition control, dust collection design and housekeeping are assessed alongside the process safety work rather than separately.

Start with applicability and open PHA items.

Twenty minutes to establish what you are covered by and how many recommendations are still open.

Book a 20-minute call

Industrial hygiene & occupational health

Exposure assessment and surveillance for chemical operations.