(11b) Quantitative Models for Assessing MOC Performance

The safety community, bolstered by the PSM regulations, has emphasized the importance of proper management of change to ensure safe, reliable and economic operation of chemical plants and refineries. Yet, at many sites, the MOC process is often harshly criticized as being "too inefficient", "too burdensome", "too slow", "too confusing", etc. In order to assess the validity of these criticisms, it is necessary to measure the efficiency, burden, speed, clarity, etc. of the MOC business process.

The author has developed conceptual models of the MOC business process, which provide quantitative assessments of various parameters such as efficiency, speed and so on. The models are implemented numerically, and provide a platform for testing different alternatives. The MOC business process models are applied to the problem of determining the optimum way of approving MOCs, as an example of how to improve the overall MOC business process.