Improving the management and use of operating instructions for process safety

Abstract

A qualitative case study has been conducted about the management and use of operating instructions in a process plant in Sweden. The work was inspired by Dekker's notion of two paradigms in relation to procedures, where Model 1 is authoritarian and top-down, and Model 2 is flexible and consultative (Dekker, 2003). The results support Dekker's hypothesis, that organizations should strive towards Model 2 to make progress on safety. Based on the findings, a framework was developed to illustrate some potentially useful practices regarding the management and use of operating instructions.