Health and Safety Executive

Process Safety Leadership Group (PSLG) factsheet

Background

The Process Safety Leadership Group was a joint industry and regulators group, set up in September 2007 to drive forward high standards in process safety leadership and to complete the implementation of the Buncefield Major Incident Investigation Board's recommendations.

Members

The PSLG consisted of expert representatives from the industry and the COMAH Competent Authority as regulators. It comprises representatives of the United Kingdom Petroleum Industries Association (UKPIA); the Tank Storage Association (TSA); United Kingdom Onshore Pipeline Operators Association (UKOPA); Chemical Industries Association (CIA); Unite the union; Environment Agency (EA); Scottish Environment Protection Agency; and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

PSLG final report

The process safety leadership group published its final report on site safety at fuel storage sites on 11 December 2009.

The report specifies minimum standards of safety and environmental protection for all UK sites storing large volumes of gasoline.

"Safety and environmental standards for fuel storage sites" is the final report of the Group, formed as a response to the Buncefield Incident Investigation Board (MIIB), following the explosions at the site in December 2005.

The Process Safety Leadership Group final report on Safety and Environmental Standards for Fuel Storage Sites is published on the Buncefield response page.

PSLG Principles of Process Safety Leadership

High standards of leadership are seen as essential to ensure effective control of major hazard risks. To assist major hazard businesses the PSLG developed a set of core principles of process safety leadership:

Principles:

  • Clear and positive process safety leadership is at the core of managing a major hazard business and is vital to ensure that risks are effectively managed;
  • Process safety leadership requires board level involvement and competence. For companies with boards located outside the UK then the responsibility to show this leadership rests with the most senior UK managers;
  • Good process safety management does not happen by chance and requires constant active engagement;
  • Board level visibility and promotion of process safety leadership is essential to set a positive safety culture throughout the organisation;
  • Engagement of the workforce is needed in the promotion and achievement of good process safety management;
  • Monitoring process safety performance based on both leading and lagging indicators is central to ensuring business risks are being effectively managed;
  • Publication of process safety performance information provides important public assurance about the management of risks by an organisation; and
  • Sharing best practice across industry sectors, and learning and implementing lessons from relevant incidents in other organisations, are important to maintain the currency of corporate knowledge and competence.

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Updated 13.07.10