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TAKE IT FROM THE TOP LEADERSHIP • TSA’S MEMBERS HAVE SIGNED UP TO A CHARTER THAT REAFFIRMS THAT THE TANK STORAGE INDUSTRY IN THE UK AND IRELAND IS COMMITTED TO PROCESS SAFETY MANAGEMENT THE INVESTIGATIONS INTO the disasters that took place in 2005 at the BP refinery in Texas City and the Buncefield oil depot in Hertfordshire, UK both highlighted the need for effective leadership from the highest levels of an organisation, to promote the proper application of process safety management (PSM) principles in high-hazard operations. Indeed, the report authored by James Baker on the Texas City explosion specifically called on BP’s top management to provide effective leadership and establish appropriate goals for process safety, articulating a clear message and matching that message with policies. Board-level management should
set expectations regarding process safety performance, both in terms of verifiable objectives and the means by which the company was to achieve them. That system should incorporate a mechanism by which process safety risks could be identified, reduced and managed. Similarly, the response in the UK to the Buncefield explosion, which involved government, industry, trade unions and other stakeholders, also identified a lack of effective leaders on process safety as an underlying factor; that response led to the formation of the Process Safety Leadership Group (PSLG), which established the necessary improvements
to safety and environmental controls required to improve the overall level of safety; first among these improvements was the need to demonstrate effective leadership within the sector. TAKING PART The Tank Storage Association (TSA), which represents independent bulk liquids storage terminals in the UK and Ireland and which played a role in PSLG, has followed up since then in promoting PSM throughout the industry. TSA also takes part in the work of the COMAH Strategic Forum (CSF), which sets out the need for leadership in the following terms: “Understanding and managing risks are critical to any business, whether these are operational, financial, safety, environmental, ethical or reputational risks. If these risks are not managed, they have the potential to harm people, damage the environment and destroy facilities along with corporate reputation. Good major hazard leadership helps an organisation to ensure these risks are given the resource, priority and attention that they need to reduce the likelihood of a major accident.” TSA has followed up on its work on PSM by issuing a new Safety Leadership Charter, reaffirming its commitment to the original principles of Process Safety Leadership. The Charter consists of seven pledges that demonstrate commitment on the part of its members to managing major hazard risks by promoting an engaged, positive, informed and cooperative safety culture. “TSA, with the support of its members, has developed the Safety Leadership Charter to promote a positive and cooperative safety culture within member organisations,” says Paul Denmead, president of TSA. “This Charter clearly demonstrates our commitment to major hazard safety, starting at the top, and puts the TSA at the forefront of safety leadership within our sector.” THE PROMISE IN WORDS All of TSA’s terminal member companies have signed up to the Charter, which carries the signatures of senior directors at each of them.
HCB MONTHLY | OCTOBER 2020
