How can you use process safety auditing and benchmarking to innovate and gain competitive advantage?

1 What is process safety auditing?

Process safety auditing is a systematic and independent examination of your processes, equipment, and management systems to verify that they comply with relevant standards, regulations, and policies. It also evaluates the effectiveness and efficiency of your controls, procedures, and performance indicators to prevent or mitigate hazards and incidents. Process safety auditing helps you to ensure that your operations are safe, reliable, and sustainable.

2 What is process safety benchmarking?

Process safety benchmarking is a process of comparing your performance and practices with those of other organizations or industry leaders in the same or similar sectors. It helps you to identify your strengths and weaknesses, learn from best practices, and set realistic and measurable goals for improvement. Process safety benchmarking can also help you to monitor your progress and evaluate your results against your peers or competitors.

3 Why are they important for innovation and competitive advantage?

Process safety auditing and benchmarking can help you to innovate and gain competitive advantage, such as by enhancing your reputation and credibility, reducing costs and losses, increasing productivity, improving decision-making and problem-solving skills, stimulating creativity and learning, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement. These benefits can be realized by optimizing processes, equipment, and resources; using data, evidence, and feedback; discovering new ideas, methods, and technologies; and engaging employees, stakeholders, and customers.

4 How to conduct process safety auditing?

Conducting a process safety auditing requires following certain steps. Firstly, you must define the scope, objectives, and criteria of the audit. Secondly, you must select the audit team and prepare the audit plan and checklist. Additionally, it is important to communicate the audit plan and expectations to the auditees and other relevant parties. Furthermore, you need to conduct the audit by collecting and analyzing data, observing and interviewing the auditees, and verifying the compliance and performance. Afterward, you should report the audit findings, conclusions, and recommendations. Lastly, you must follow up on the corrective and preventive actions.

5 How to conduct process safety benchmarking?

Conducting a process safety benchmarking requires defining the scope, objectives, and metrics of the benchmarking, as well as identifying the benchmarking partners or sources and obtaining their consent and cooperation. Data and information on the performance and practices of the benchmarking partners or sources must then be collected and compared to analyze any gaps, similarities, and differences between your organization and the benchmarking partners or sources. The benchmarking results, insights, and opportunities for improvement should then be reported, followed by implementation of any improvement actions and monitoring of the outcomes.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?