Author: Owaiz Ebrahim, Process Safety Analytics Lead, Risk Alive Analytics
Risk data is some of the most complicated data in the world to read, digest and understand. Focusing on Process Hazards Analysis (PHA) reports specifically, although common framework and guidewords are followed, for the most part universally, it is still difficult for someone with fresh eyes to pick up a report, read it and know what is important. This can be a major obstacle in and of itself, let alone finding the time to wade through thousands of pages of risk assessment information, or multiple risk assessments, looking for a particular piece of equipment they need to become familiar with.
Wouldn’t it be great if a new operator or engineer started on Monday morning and knew the most important risk information relevant to the facility or project they’re working on by midday? Why does this matter? When thinking about critical defeats processes, understanding the critical procedures and recognizing which alarms matter most and need to be prioritized, there are many vital situations and processes where this information will be essential.
How can we make your valuable risk data more user-friendly? Why not make it accessible for all generations – including millennials – who are familiar with basic search engine functionality? It’s critical that people of all ages be able to search risk data for specific equipment tags and view that data in easy-to-understand, interactive visualizations in order to put into context what they need, when they need it. Understanding the relationships between initiating events, safeguards, IPLs (mitigative/preventative) and consequences using bowties to connect it all together.
Online gamification is one solution, with modern and interactive puzzles that can help people understand the strategies used to safeguard facilities and process units within minutes. This also adds factors of entertainment, competition and other nuances to engage and excite people about safety.
The future workforce needs better solutions quickly, to help enable them to leverage the decades of knowledge from baby boomers and the generations who came before them. This shift must happen soon, as tens of thousands of experienced workers, who are often the Subject Matter Experts (SME) in PHA sessions, continue to retire on a weekly basis. Although significant knowledge is being lost, the information captured in documents like PHA reports can help the next generations to learn, in seconds and minutes, what others took a lifetime to build and acquire.
This knowledge transfer will only be possible through an accessible and consumable format that speaks a multi-generational language, such as Risk Alive®.
