API's Process Safety Site Assessment Program (PSSAP®): Programmatic Updates, Regional Assessments and New Programs Discussion
Authors: Frazier Colin M. , Burr Alexa S. , Meng Ryan D. 
Published: October 2022

The American Petroleum Institute (API) and the U.S. oil and natural gas industry prioritize protecting the health and safety of workers, contractors and the communities in which we operate. For more the 100 years, API has led the development of industry standards, sharing lessons learned as well as the establishment of training and certification programs, all available worldwide.

API continues to operate the Process Safety Site Assessment Program (PSSAP®), an assessment program focused on evaluating higher risk activities in a refining, petrochemical, or chemical facility. This program is intended to: Promote process safety performance improvement industry wide;Promote learnings from industry practices;Provide benchmarking through the consistent use of industry-developed good practice protocols;Serve as a feedback mechanism for an analysis of industry performance; and,Encourage safety collaboration among participating sites and industry experts.

In early 2022, API finalized the creation of the Hydrofluoric Acid Alkylation Assessment based on Recommended Practice 751, Safe Operation of Hydrofluoric Acid Alkylation Units, 5th Edition. This updated assessment protocol incorporates changes from the 4th Edition to the 5th Edition of Recommended Practice (RP) 751, which includes double the requirements from the previous edition.

API launched a new offering: PSSAP Extended Learning. Following a PSSAP assessment, this offering allows sites to utilize assessors to conduct dedicated good practice sharing in areas warranting more focus. This offering can help sites struggling with certain topics to get more details about what good practices exist within industry in these areas.

Over the past two years, API and industry experts developed a new Safeguards protocol, focused on how well they are implemented after they are identified in a process hazard analysis. This will allow sites to better gauge how well they are mitigating risks identified in their analyses.

Finally, as more operators in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East utilize PSSAP, API has approved the creation of regionally specific benchmarking in addition to the benchmarking reports received for assessments, contingent upon ten (10) operators having conducted assessments in a specific region. Looking forward, API anticipates the ability to produce this blinded and anonymous benchmarking for other regions starting in 2022, which will allow operators to compare their performance in PSSAP assessments to those of their regional peers.

PSSAP has completed over 160 assessments to date, with 24 currently scheduled in 2022. Eleven (11) of these 24 assessments are to be conducted internationally in 2022, demonstrating robust growth in international interest in PSSAP. To that end, API completed the first RP 751 5th Edition assessment in the Middle East Region in 2Q 2022. These updates, along with other program-specific updates, will be discussed to ensure attendees are aware of PSSAP's evolving suite of offerings.