I. Curriculum Criteria: Conduct of Operations (Shift Operations)

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1 I. Curriculum Criteria: Conduct of Operations (Shift Operations) Overview The ability of operating teams to effectively monitor and control manufacturing processes is impacted by many factors. The term "Conduct of Operations" has been adopted to categorize the activities and attributes of a well-functioning operating organization. Included are elements such as operating procedures, shift team communication, process and equipment monitoring, response to abnormal conditions, as well as effective supervision, ownership, and human performance factors. This course is designed to educate Process Operators, Supervision, and Senior Management in the effective application of the elements of Conduct of Operations. Students will gain an understanding of each of the elements and their practical application in the operating environment. Participants will come away with the tools and knowledge they need to identify and implement improvements in their operation, resulting in a safer and more effective work environment. Topics Course Content/Criteria Target Audience Outside Operators & Console Operators Evaluation Criteria Importance of Taking Ownership Importance of Controlling and Monitoring Processes Learning Objectives: 1. Frame the duties and responsibilities of operators in terms of their attitude toward taking ownership of their personal and professional responsibilities. 2. Understand the importance of unit ownership and commitment to assuring unit process safety. Learning Objectives A: 1. Understand the importance of routine rounds for outside operators and console operators in preventing process safety incidents. 2. Identify the elements required for an effective round. Student shall be able to link ownership with process safety performance. Students shall describe attributes of unit ownership. Student shall provide examples of effective and ineffective unit/equipment surveillance. Students shall be able to explain why it is important to respect safe operating limits. Conduct of Operations Shift Operations (draft) Page 1

2 1. Operating Within Limits: a. Discuss Safe Operating Limits and Design Operating Limits: How are these determined? What are their differences? b. Discuss how operating outside of safe operating limits can lead to a process safety incident. c. Share examples of incidents that occurred as a result of operating outside of safe limits. 2. Surveillance: a. Discuss the importance of knowing the status of alarms, interlocks, safety systems and bypasses. b. Discuss the importance of performing safety equipment checks. c. Identify elements of an effective round. (Ensure students share personal experiences during (a) and (b) above) Learning Objectives B: 1. Understand the importance of routine readings in preventing process safety incidents. 2. Understand the importance of the accuracy of data. Student shall be able to describe how the readings they take affect process safety. Conduct of Operations Shift Operations (draft) Page 2

3 1. Discuss how frequency is determined: (i.e., dependent on site requirements). 2. Discuss types of routine readings. 3. Discuss the importance of consistency for trending of data. 4. Emphasize importance of taking action on readings that are abnormal. Learning Objectives C: 1. Understand importance of performing routine tasks consistently in ensuring process safety. Students shall describe how a routine task conducted ineffectively could lead to a process safety incident. 1. Use examples of routine tasks to emphasize the importance of executing tasks effectively to prevent process safety incidents: a. Equipment switching b. Process sampling 2. Interactive discussion: Students shall share real life incidents. Importance of Caring for equipment Learning Objectives A: 1. Understand the importance of equipment reliability to process safety. 1. Identify various types of equipment, including, but not limited to, rotating equipment, valves, piping components, Conduct of Operations Shift Operations (draft) Page 3

4 Responding to Abnormal Conditions steam traps, vessels, etc. 2. Describe how equipment is monitored. 3. Relate preventive maintenance to equipment reliability. 4. Importance of detecting, monitoring and responding to defects (i.e., leaks, poor performance, vibrations, etc.). Learning Objectives B: 1. Operation s role in equipment care/maintenance/routine care/ready for maintenance, taking out of service/re-commissioning/initial start-ups/inventory/ 2. Interface between equipment care/maintenance and process safety. 1. Equipment Shutdown 2. Equipment Commissioning Learning Objective: 1. Increase awareness of symptoms of abnormal conditions. 2. Understand the importance of recognizing and responding to and reporting abnormal conditions. 3. Abnormal Conditions: a. Discuss the importance of recognizing and responding to and reporting abnormal conditions. b. Provide examples of abnormal conditions and how Student can explain the importance of recognizing, acting upon and reporting abnormal conditions. Conduct of Operations Shift Operations (draft) Page 4

5 recognizing and acting upon them promptly can mitigate incidents. c. Provide examples of how seemingly small issues can lead to major incidents 4. Process Troubleshooting: a. Emphasize importance of recognizing, responding to and reporting unstable operations. b. Discuss the need to have a sense of urgency and involvement of others to address unstable operations. c. Discuss the importance of identifying causes of and solutions to specific problems. d. Lessons Learned: Provide real-world examples. a. Discuss the following aspects of addressing abnormal conditions: b. Take action c. Troubleshoot d. Escalate e. Communicate condition to others f. Process Upset g. Leak h. Equipment Shutdown Conduct of Operations Shift Operations (draft) Page 5

6 Importance of Utilizing Operating Procedures Learning Objectives A: 1. Understand the purpose of procedures and their importance in process safety. 2. The importance and the effective utilization of procedures. 1. Discussion: Why are procedures needed/how do they affect process safety? 2. Discussion: What are the risks of curtailing procedures, taking shortcuts/errors-of-omission? 3. Procedural Execution: Own it, do it, do it right every time. 4. Discuss how an effective shift team uses procedures (Emergency procedures, infrequently used procedures, table top drills, etc.) Learning Objective B: 1. Understand the importance of individual attributes. 1. Key attributes: a. Knowledge b. Commitment c. Awareness d. attention to detail 2. Discuss how personal attributes relate to following procedures and Conduct of Operations Shift Operations (draft) Page 6

7 process safety performance. 3. Provide examples of real life incidents: how did key attributes play a role? Effectively Communicating Unit Status and Condition Learning Objective: 1. Understand the importance of effective communication and verification that the message is understood. 1. Review industry incidents where ineffective communication was a causal factor. 2. Operations Logs 3. If you see it, report it. 4. Reference Site Assessment Protocols 5. Verbal vs. written 6. Communication between Console and Outside Operators, Console and Console, Ops to Ops, Ops to Maintenance, Contractors, etc. 7. Recognizing when to communicate based on the level of knowledge Conduct of Operations Shift Operations (draft) Page 7

8 II. Definitions Asset Ownership: Assigned ownership of an asset to someone who is responsible for monitoring it, verifying its condition, controlling changes, and ensuring that it is properly maintained. Ownership: The act of taking personal responsibility for ones actions, and performing any job that one is given the best it can be done. Routine Round: Surveillance intended to identify unusual conditions/being aware of your surroundings/determine whether a reading is required due to an unusual condition/identifying unsafe conditions Outside Operator: A process operator who is not typically assigned control console monitoring duties; a process operator who performs operating tasks in the physical unit outside of the control room. Console Operator: A process operator whose chief responsibility is monitoring and making adjustments to the process via the process unit control system. Routine Reading: Verifying the measured value of a process parameter on a routine frequency to ensure operation within specified limits. Difference between Routine Reading and Routine Round: A collection of pre-defined tasks that are performed in a process unit on a routine basis. These may include routine readings, routine activities, and identification of abnormal conditions; often performed in a well-planned "round" or "route" to ensure efficiency. Abnormal Conditions: Any deviation from the normal operating state of a process or equipment requiring human intervention to return the process or equipment to the normal operating state. Conduct of Operations Shift Operations (draft) Page 8

9 III. Student Evaluations Method: 1. Written test: 15 to 20 questions based on the learning objectives and evaluation criteria. Questions shall be weighted equally across the material presented. 2. Test shall consist of fill in the blank, machining, multiple choice, or short answer. True/false questions shall not be used. 3. Passing grade is 100% with remediation. IV. Course Structure Course(s) shall: 1. Be instructor-led class 2. Include group interactive exercises. 3. Target field personnel. 4. Be 4 hours in duration, including testing. 5. Have a maximum attendee to instructor ratio of 24 to Include interactive role-plays. Conduct of Operations Shift Operations (draft) Page 9