Process Safety Management (PSM) Training for Oil & Gas Facilities
Most major incidents at process facilities don’t come from one dramatic failure — they come from a chain of small gaps: a change that was never formally reviewed, a procedure that drifted from what’s actually done on the unit, an inspection that slipped past its due date. Process Safety Management exists to close those gaps systematically, and Burraq Consulting’s PSM course trains the people who own that system to run it as more than a compliance exercise.
What Is Process Safety Management?
Process Safety Management (PSM) is a structured framework — most widely recognized through OSHA’s 29 CFR 1910.119 standard and mirrored in API RP 750 and CCPS guidance — for managing the hazards of processes that handle highly hazardous chemicals. It’s built around 14 interconnected elements, from process hazard analysis and management of change to mechanical integrity and incident investigation, all designed to prevent catastrophic releases, fires, and explosions before they happen rather than respond to them afterward.
Who Should Attend
- Process engineers and plant managers responsible for PSM program ownership
- HSE managers building or auditing a facility's PSM system
- Maintenance and reliability supervisors supporting mechanical integrity elements
- Engineers preparing for internal or third-party PSM compliance audits
Prerequisites
An engineering background or two or more years of hands-on plant experience is recommended, since the course moves quickly from PSM theory into applying it against real facility scenarios.
What the Course Covers
- The 14 elements of PSM, including process safety information, process hazard analysis, operating procedures, and training
- Management of Change (MOC) procedures, and how weak MOC discipline is one of the most common root causes behind major incidents
- Mechanical integrity programs for safety-critical equipment, including inspection, testing, and preventive maintenance requirements
- Pre-startup safety review (PSSR) requirements before introducing highly hazardous chemicals to a new or modified process
- Incident investigation and root cause analysis, and how findings feed back into the other 13 elements
- Contractor safety and employee participation requirements often underweighted in PSM implementations
- Building a PSM audit and compliance program that holds up under regulatory or third-party scrutiny
Course at a Glance
Why Train with Burraq Consulting
Burraq’s instructors have implemented and audited PSM programs across refining and petrochemical facilities in the region, and this course is shaped by what actually shows up in audit findings — MOC forms that exist on paper but aren’t followed in the field, mechanical integrity schedules that slip during turnarounds, training records that don’t match who’s actually running the unit. Participants leave with a realistic view of where PSM programs typically break down and how to prevent it.
Certification and Next Steps
This course builds working PSM program ownership and audit-readiness. It pairs naturally with Burraq’s HAZOP Facilitation, Quantitative Risk Assessment, and Bow-Tie Risk Analysis courses, since PSM’s process hazard analysis element draws directly on those methodologies.
Frequently Asked Questions
PSM is a structured framework for managing the hazards of processes handling highly hazardous chemicals. It’s a regulatory requirement in many jurisdictions and an industry-standard expectation even where it isn’t strictly mandated, because it’s one of the most effective known frameworks for preventing catastrophic process incidents.
No. A broader HSE management system (such as one aligned to ISO 45001) covers occupational health and safety across an organization. PSM is specific to preventing catastrophic releases from processes handling highly hazardous chemicals, with its own 14 elements.
HAZOP is the most common technique used to satisfy PSM’s process hazard analysis element. A HAZOP study identifies process deviations and their safeguards; PSM is the broader management system that ensures those findings are tracked, resourced, and closed out.
Responsibility is typically shared — process engineers and plant management own the overall program, while HSE, maintenance, and operations teams each carry specific elements. This course clarifies how those responsibilities should be distributed.
Build a PSM program that holds up when it's tested.
or contact us to arrange an in-house program for your facility.