Learning by Training

by Arend van Campen

PRODUCT ACCEPTANCE PROTOCOL

IMAGINE THAT WE, as a tank storage terminal, have to store a new product, e.g. ethyl benzene, because one of our customers asked us to. It is a product that is dangerous for human and non-human life, the environment and social cohesion. A study must therefore be carried out to determine the correct and safest ways of handling this product.

A study group is selected to undertake this task. It consists of the operations manager, the HSE safety officer, a chemical laboratory technician, a commercial person (who should know this as well of course) in cooperation with the customer. This is a so-called ‘product acceptance protocol’. Together, they read the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) to identify the risks to which everyone in the terminal and the surrounding area is exposed. They write a so-called SOP, a Standard Operational Procedure for everyone who will be working with this new product, such as the loading operators, the process operators, the tank truck drivers.

Everyone who works or may work at the terminal must learn this SOP by heart in order to act correctly in case of an emergency, including the contractors who are usually operational too. It is therefore not enough to simply hand out the SDS and hope that it will be studied and understood by everyone. This is where awareness training comes in. My observations as a trainer are that on many terminals the opposite happens. The people who work there are insufficiently informed and trained to deal with hazardous products, though the first chapter of the ISGOTT is called ‘Hazards of Petroleum’.

So it comes down to information. There is a rule that you can find on our website on the page: Early Warning System. Tank storage terminals and refineries that fail to effectively implement information processes and internal control systems are likely to face an information deficit at some point, which will lead to poorer performance. Understanding how information shortage results in entropy or disorder is crucial if you want to run an effective business: Information shortage ≙ Entropy (disorder) (≙ by definition). Functionality and HSEQ depend on information!

We have designed an early warning system that measures the potential information gap to predict, prevent and mitigate disorder and risk. What we offer is measuring the quantity and quality of information in your organisation to verify potential risk exposure according to a scientific method.

The advantage of this approach is that risk management becomes proactive instead of reactive. More information and research can be found on our website. We offer a one-day training programme to allow personnel to learn more and understand the science behind it. We no longer have to ask: is it sustainable or safe? You ask this question: ‘can our terminal continue to function in this way and do we meet the criteria of and for functionality that consists of information?

This is the latest in a monthly series of articles by Arend van Campen, founder of TankTerminalTraining, who can be contacted at arendvc@ tankterminaltraining.com. More information on the company’s activities can be found at www.tankterminaltraining.com.