A methodology for assessing the performance of safety information management in the process industry

The relationship between mismanagement of information and its adverse effect on plant safety in the process industry is now widely recognised. Ignorance of essential facts and messages will lead inexorably to a catastrophic outcome. This process has been called an 'information disaster'. Many incidents provide lessons on improving Safety Information Management (SIM). Evaluating SIM performance can provide interventions to prevent disasters and improve plant safety. In order to improve SIM performance for the process industry, this research adopted the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) concept to design a performance measurement framework. The framework includes four 'perspectives' and twenty-eight 'indicators' with their own measures. The framework has been developed from an extensive literature review, a plant investigation and two incremental surveys, one of professional opinion in the process industry in Taiwan and the second a broader verification from experts. [Continues.]