Achieving Facility Safety and Innovative Strategies for Improvement

Now more than ever, processing plants are in need to ensure their facilities are equipped with the tools and methodologies necessary to ensure safe and efficient operations. The development of regulations and industry standards are prompting plants to implement new means of protection for personnel and the environment.  

Michael Heard, Risk Engineering Advisor, Process Safety / Technical Safety / Environmental at Hess Corporation recently spoke with marcus evans about key topics to be discussed at their upcoming Facility Siting and Risk Mitigation for Processing Plants, August 4-6, 2015 in San Antonio, TX. Here is their exchange.

In your current role as Risk Engineering Advisor, how would you describe the importance and application of facility siting and risk mitigation?

MH: In my current role as a Risk Advisor for Hess, the application of facility siting and risk mitigation is extremely import. It is my duty to ensure that risks are identified and mitigated prior to construction to ensure potential hazards have been reduced to a measure as low as reasonably practicable. If facilities have not been notable and creditably sited, and risks have not been adequately mitigated against, the resulting facility becomes significantly more hazardous to work at. My goal is to ensure a company is Safe, Secure, and Sustainable; this can only be accomplished with adequate facility siting and risk mitigation.

What goes into constructing a Facility Siting Plan and what are the critical components associated to ensure the safety of the operators’ onsite?