(140c) AFPM/API Advancing Process Safety: Reevaluating the Permit to Work Process through the Human Reliability Lens

The Advancing Process Safety (APS) program is a joint initiative from the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) and the American Petroleum Institute (API) to improve process safety performance and reduce site risks. Through APS, a data collection process has identified opportunities related to Human Reliability for reducing process safety events and improving the safety culture.

One of the major tools that has been developed to address these risks are the practice sharing documents, available to AFPM members. By utilizing the practice sharing platform, the AFPM/API subgroup gathered a variety practices from several member companies to review the Permit to Work (PTW) system from a human performance perspective.

This paper will focus on the human performance considerations related to PTW. Viewing the Permit to Work system through a human performance lens provides an opportunity to identify challenges within it that make it more difficult for the person to execute a task correctly, as well as to identify techniques and tools that can help them perform those tasks more reliably. By utilizing the suite of practice sharing documents available, users can benchmark and compare their permit to work practices to their peers. This will help with site practice evaluation and improvement which will help improve their practices and their overall safety culture and knowledge sharing opportunities. There are many ways to implement Permit to Work strategies, and some of the practices highlighted in this series can be combined and tailored to specific site needs. Ultimately, the paper will demonstrate that there is no universal standard on permitting, and there are different avenues to implement human factors considerations at the site level.