Safety Culture
Safety issues must be addressed for successful hydrogen technology deployment. It is necessary for leaders to establish a safety-friendly culture to be successful. An organization's safety culture can be observed in the behaviors of its staff members regarding the importance of eliminating or minimizing workplace hazards. Safety culture encompasses the following elements:
- Conducting work safely and responsibly as an overriding priority
- Protecting the health, safety, and welfare of the organization's staff and its equipment and property
- Protecting the health, safety, and welfare of the general public
- Protecting the environment
- Providing ongoing education/training about fundamental principles and best practices
An organization's safety goals should be clearly communicated and understood by all staff. Everyone should be focused on doing their work safely and avoiding accidents and injuries. Safety concerns should be raised by staff members in a timely manner, and an avenue where concerns can be raised with confidence is an essential part of a strong safety culture. Safety improvements should be implemented as needed and communicated to the entire organization. All safety related documentation should be maintained and made easily available to employees. Additionally, a mechanism should be in place for ownership and management of all safety related reports. An organization should have clearly documented process for ensuring safety during design, build, testing, and operation of any hydrogen-related equipment and processes.
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References
CCPS Process Safety Beacon -- June 2007
The American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) invites chemical, petroleum, and other companies to use the materials found on their website to evaluate their company's process safety culture and to develop improvement strategies.