While 84% say safety is a corporate value, 77% see increasing risks arising between periodic safety reviews; and only 40% proactively manage process safety.

CHICAGO, IL (Aug. 13, 2019) Companies responding to the 2019 Operational Risk and Process Safety Management Survey* conducted by Sphera, the largest global provider of Integrated Risk Management software and information services, say safety is an executive level priority for their organizations, but the survey reveals they admit to not doing enough to proactively manage process safety consistently.

The first report–in a two-part series–uncovers challenging circumstances that keep these organizations locked in the status quo and unable to realize the C-level safety vision and commitment:
  • 49% say loss of experienced personnel due to downsizing, turnover and retirement inhibit the ability to make meaningful changes to mitigate risk.
  • 41% cite aging facilities.
  • 39% say they’ve seen a deterioration in the effectiveness of process safety barriers.

These factors could be contributing to a 21% increase in respondents who are seeing risks increase between periodic safety reviews as compared to 2018 survey results. Further, nearly one-third of respondents indicate that scheduled asset integrity inspections aren’t taking place as planned. This is particularly troubling given the safety gaps posed by worker turnover, aging facilities and process safety barriers.

Another issue, respondents said data is often siloed within companies where one unit isn’t sharing information with another—at least not effectively. Three-quarters (75%) of respondents said their data was siloed, and only 10% said their organization has deployed integrated digital solutions to record risk-relevant data.

“While many companies commit to a safety culture at the highest levels,” said Mike Zamis, Sphera’s chief product officer. “We are concerned by the gaps in Operational Risk and Process Safety management processes and people. The good news is we are seeing organizations turning to digital technology to fill those gaps and augment the plant-level experience that may no longer be available.”

  • Part 1 of the report offers analyses of what the findings mean in terms of Major Accident Hazard (MAH) risk awareness on the ground–and proactive risk mitigation.
  • Part 2 of the ORM/PSM report, due out in October, will show how industry operators are addressing planning and prioritization concerns as they move to digital strategies.

To download Part One of the report and watch a short video introduction from Mike Zamis, please visit 2019 Survey on the State of Pocess Safety & Operational Risk Management.

(*Previously this research was conducted by Operational Risk Management software company Petrotechnics, which Sphera acquired January 2019.)

About Sphera

Sphera is the largest global provider of Integrated Risk Management software and information services with a focus on Environmental Health & Safety (EHS), Operational Risk Management and Product Stewardship. For more than 30 years, Sphera has advanced Operational Excellence by serving more than 3,000 customers and over 1 million individual users across 70-plus countries to create a safer, more sustainable and productive world.

Latest insights from Sphera

Filter

Infographic: Are you ready to comply with the EUDR?

Explore the steps sustainability leaders can take today to streamline their Scope 3 reporting processing.
December 5, 2024

The role of life cycle assessment (LCA) for effective decarbonization

Find out how sustainability leaders can strategically leverage LCA to achieve their corporate decarbonization goals.
December 5, 2024

Smooth the path to supply chain decarbonization with centralized software

Supply chain sustainability is facing growing pressure from new regulatory demands, especially with the inclusion of complex Scope…
December 3, 2024