Applying Continuous Improvement Tools to Your Process Safety Management System

摘要

Companies often use continuous improvement tools to reduce waste, improve the quality of their products and services, and increase productivity. Many chemical process plants could dramatically improve the productivity and quality of their process safety management (PSM) system by using the tools of continuous process improvement to maximize value and satisfaction. Performance metrics should drive the continuous improvement process. This allows technical staff to communicate in a language that management understands. Improvement projects can then be evaluated on their cost and potential impact on performance metrics. A process driven by performance metrics avoids many of the pitfalls associated with continuous improvement based on nothing more than management's slogans, exhortations, and targets. Improving your PSM system can be accomplished using a continuous improvement process. A continuous improvement process facilitates performance improvement by reducing variation, noncritical work, and rework, increasing cooperation, improving quality, estimations, and cycle times, and increasing compliance with government regulations.