The Dow Chemical Company has significantly reduced the number of Tier 1 Process Safety events from 69 in 2008 to an average of 10 in 2013-2015. This paper will share some of the key elements that have led to this successful and sustainable reduction in incidents. The structure of the paper is focused around the concept of Effective Process Safety Programs published by Klein and Vaughen in Process Safety: Key Concepts and Practical Applications (CRC Press, 2016).
In this paper, we will provide details on our Operational Discipline systems that enable success on a day-to-day basis. These systems include Dowâs Procedure Use Culture, Process Safety Training programs and Process Safety Collaboration Networks. We will also describe our Process Safety Management Systems that enable long-term successincluding Dowâs Loss Prevention Principles, use of PHA, LOPA and other tools to manage risk, and Dowâs Mechanical Integrity program. The success is built on a strong foundation of Safety Culture and Leadership. This paper will illustrate how Dow is structured to support the Process Safety efforts and examples will be shared about how leadership at all levels of the organization is practiced and demonstrated.
