Guidelines for writing effective operating and maintenance procedures

Contents Preface .............................................................................. ix Acknowledgments ............................................................. xi Glossary ............................................................................ xiii 1. Introduction to Effective Procedure Writing ........... 1 1.1 Why Was This Book Written? ........................................ 1 1.2 Book Objectives ............................................................. 2 1.3 The Current Worldwide Trend toward Procedures ........ 3 1.4 Who Should Use This Book? ......................................... 3 1.5 Where Do You Go From Here? ..................................... 6 2. Process Safety, Environmental, and Quality Considerations .......................................................... 9 2.1 Purpose ......................................................................... 9 2.2 Understanding the Guidelines and Regulations ............ 9 2.3 Voluntary Guidelines ...................................................... 10 2.4 Governmental Regulations ............................................ 13 2.5 Quality Considerations ................................................... 14 2.6 Some Elements of Effective Procedures and Procedure Management Systems ................................. 15 2.7 Additional Considerations .............................................. 17 2.8 Conclusion ..................................................................... 19 Endnotes ................................................................................ 19 vi Contents This page has been reformatted by Knovel to provide easier navigation. 3. How to Design an Operating and Maintenance Procedure Management System .............................. 21 3.1 Purpose ......................................................................... 21 3.2 The Importance of Written Procedures .......................... 21 3.3 Elements of a Comprehensive Procedure Management System ..................................................... 22 3.4 Determining Procedure Management System Requirements ................................................................ 24 3.5 Evaluating Your Current Practices ................................. 24 3.6 Identifying Your Resources ............................................ 26 3.7 Designing and Implementing Your Procedure Management System ..................................................... 26 3.8 How to Determine Which Procedures to Write .............. 27 3.9 Implementing a Procedure Project ................................ 30 3.10 Procedure Training ........................................................ 30 3.11 Maintaining and Improving Your Procedure Management System ..................................................... 31 3.12 Conclusion ..................................................................... 32 4. Writing Operating and Maintenance Procedures ................................................................ 33 4.1 Purpose ......................................................................... 33 4.2 What Resources Do You Need Before You Begin Writing? .......................................................................... 33 4.3 What Do We Know About the Procedure Users? .......... 34 4.4 Considerations for Effective Procedures ........................ 35 4.5 Importance of Procedure Format ................................... 37 4.6 Introductory Sections ..................................................... 40 4.7 Procedure Steps Section ............................................... 46 4.8 Drafting the Procedure ................................................... 54 Contents vii This page has been reformatted by Knovel to provide easier navigation. 4.9 The Procedure Review and Approval Cycle .................. 55 4.10 Special Considerations for Maintenance Procedures .................................................................... 55 4.11 Batch Process Considerations ....................................... 56 5. Elements of Effective Procedures ........................... 57 5.1 Purpose ......................................................................... 57 5.2 Importance of Procedure Evaluation Criteria ................. 57 5.3 Who Will Use the Procedure Evaluation Criteria? ......... 58 5.4 Procedure Checklist Elements ....................................... 58 Endnotes ................................................................................ 77 6. Writing Emergency Operating Procedures ............. 79 6.1 Purpose ......................................................................... 79 6.2 Defining Events Requiring Emergency Operating Procedures .................................................................... 79 6.3 Identifying Emergency Situations .................................. 81 6.4 Developing and Writing Emergency Operating Procedures .................................................................... 82 6.5 Directing the User to the Correct Emergency Operating Procedure ..................................................... 85 6.6 Incorporating Human Factors in Emergency Operating Procedures .................................................... 87 6.7 Using Decision Aids ....................................................... 92 6.8 How Emergency Operating Procedures Link to the Emergency Response Plan ........................................... 93 Endnotes ................................................................................ 95 7. Procedure Control ..................................................... 97 7.1 Purpose ......................................................................... 97 7.2 What Is Procedure Control? .......................................... 97 viii Contents This page has been reformatted by Knovel to provide easier navigation. 7.3 Controlling Procedure Revisions and Development .................................................................. 98 7.4 Who Should Review the Procedures? ........................... 101 7.5 Procedure Approval ....................................................... 102 7.6 Evaluating Procedures in Use ....................................... 104 7.7 Electronic Document Control ......................................... 105 8. Procedure Development Costs and Benefits ......... 107 8.1 Purpose ......................................................................... 107 8.2 Reasons for Procedure Development ............................ 107 8.3 Procedure Development Costs ...................................... 108 8.4 Return on Investment: Improvements You Can Expect from Effective Procedures ................................. 112 Endnotes ................................................................................ 113 Appendix A Selected Procedure Initiatives, Consensus Codes, and Regulations Affecting Procedures ................................................................ 115 Appendix B Common Points of API, OSHA, and EPA ................ 119 Appendix C How to Determine the Tasks That Require Written Procedures ................................................... 122 Appendix D Procedure Performance Evaluation ........................ 124 Appendix E Procedure Criteria Checklist .................................... 127 Contents ix This page has been reformatted by Knovel to provide easier navigation. Appendix F Sample Procedure Formats ..................................... 130 Appendix G Sample Formats of Operating Limits Tables .......... 136 General References ......................................................... 139 Index ................................................................................. 141