NEBOSH HSE Certificate in Process Safety Management

For developing the NEBOSH HSE Certificate in Process Safety Management, NEBOSH has joined forces with Great Britain’s Health and Safety Regulator, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). However, this process safety management qualification is the result of the unique collaboration which integrates the advanced technical ‘high hazard’ expertise of HSE with NEBOSH’s ability for delivering strong vocational OSH qualifications.  

This qualification is designed for equipping delegates with a broad understanding of the accepted principles and recognized industrial practices for the management of process risk. This will make sure that they have the ability in recognizing and contributing to the control of process safety hazards. Further, these qualifications are developed depending on extensive research with health and safety professionals, employers, professional bodies, and regulators for ensuring they are relevant and rigorous as well as achievable and practical.

Who is best suitable for the exam?

• This exam is good for individuals globally working in process industries such as oil and gas, chemicals, plastics, and pharmaceuticals.
• Secondly, this is ideal for managers, safety representatives, and health and safety advisors working inside the process industries in the UK. 
• For this, exam individuals are recommended to have knowledge of health and safety issues.
• Next, the NEBOSH HSE Certificate in Process Safety management benefits companies working in the process industries like oil and gas, chemicals, plastics, and pharmaceuticals who want to implement effective process safety management.
• Then, Process Safety management is used effectively by the industry for helping keep people safe from injury and loss of life. For employers, this is also for protecting valuable assets and avoiding prosecution, litigation, and loss of reputation.
• Lastly, individuals holding the NEBOSH HSE Certificate in Process Safety Management will have practical knowledge that brings real value.

Exam Format

NEBOSH HSE Certificate in Process Safety Management exam will have 40 multiple-choice questions which have to be completed in a time duration of 90 minutes. And, there is no practical element to this qualification. However, the passing score for the exam is 60%. Further, NEBOSH recommends that learners undertaking this qualification should reach a minimum standard of English equivalent to an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of 6.0 or higher in IELTS tests.

Exam Course Outline

Element 1: Process safety leadership

1.1 Process safety Management meaning

• The distinction between process safety vs personal safety
• Process safety is a blend of engineering and management skills focused on preventing catastrophic accidents and near misses, particularly structural collapse, explosions, fires, and toxic releases associated with loss of containment of energy or dangerous substances such as chemicals and petroleum products.

1.2 Process safety leadership

• The importance of leadership teams being fully aware of the hazard and risk potential of their processing activities and their possible impact on safety, reputation, and business risk
• Board level visibility and the promotion of process safety leadership as being essential in developing a positive safety culture
• For PSM critical positions, the necessity to define and assign process safety responsibilities
• The reasons for holding to account all individuals with PSM responsibilities, regardless of their position within an organization
• The provision of adequate resources (human, financial and physical) being made available and the consequences of failing to provide them
• Meaning of, and reasons, for establishing process safety objectives and targets that are routinely reviewed with performance on them, made publically available
• Commitment to continuous improvement with regard to process safety performance.

1.3 Organisational learning

• The significance of learning lessons from incidences of actual or potential consequence
• The reasons for and benefits of accident and incident investigations
• Documented management processes in place to ensure the retention of corporate knowledge pertaining to process safety management ie, original design specification and plant modifications
• Arrangements with other relevant organizations in the sharing of lessons learned and the adoption of such learning within process safety management systems
• Purpose of benchmarking and how this tool is used across similar organizations to identify best practices and drive process safety improvement ie, management of change, asset integrity and process safety culture
• Sources of process safety management information:
  • internal to the organization 
  • external to the organization

1.4 Management of change

• Management of change control measures:
  • formal documented system developed to identify required modifications
  • the requirement for a full hazard and risk analysis exercise on implications of change ie, prevent the introduction of new hazards or unknowingly increasing the risk of existing hazards
  • process for all changes to be authorized by competent persons and where safety-critical devices are too removed, sanctioned and signed off by senior management
  • all changes to process plant and/or design correctly documented for process knowledge retention
  • consult and inform those affected by the changes (both operational and changes of key workers)
  • training programs implemented where necessary.

1.5 Worker engagement

• The benefits and limitations of consultation with workers and contractors on all applicable process hazards and associated controls, policy development, and process safety performance
• Types of consultees and their role/responsibilities:
  • safety committees
  • discussion groups
  • safety circles
  • departmental meetings
  • email and web-based forums
• The necessity of including workers/workplace representatives when (re)developing procedures, safe systems of work and undertaking risk assessments and accident investigations
• Why engagement with workers should be given a high priority by senior management and arrangements for engagement appropriately managed and compliance audited against.

1.6 Competence

• Understanding of what is meant by ‘competence’ (ie, ‘the ability to undertake responsibilities and to perform activities to a relevant standard, as necessary, to ensure process safety and prevent major accidents. Competence is a combination of knowledge skills and experience and requires a willingness and reliability that work activities will be undertaken in accordance with agreed standards, rules and procedures’ Source: Operational Delivery Guide produced by COMAH Competent Authorities
• The role of competence in safe working and behaviors
• The development and implementation of systems (including the use of training and competency matrices/frameworks) to ensure that all levels of management possess the appropriate level of process safety knowledge and expertise
• Training and development programs applicable to process safety risk:
  • standard
  • nonstandard
  • emergencies.

Element 2: Management of process risk

2.1 Establishing a process safety management system

• Reasons for developing an integrated and comprehensive process safety management system, including compliance obligations
• The key elements of a process safety management system
  • policy (Plan)
  • planning (Plan)
  • implementation and operation (Do)
  • checking and corrective action (Check)
  • management review (Act)
  • continual improvement (Act)
• ‘License to operate’ authorization and dealing with regulators (safety cases)
• The purpose and typical content of Major Accident Prevention Plans (MAPP’s)
• Differentiation between leading and lagging process safety performance indicators and their development and implementation as part of an assurance framework
• Auditing ‘compliance’ with process safety management system objectives and the identification of opportunities for improved performance.

2.2 Risk management techniques used within the process industries

• The purpose and use of risk assessment
• The differences between qualitative, semi-quantitative, and quantitative risk assessment processes and where they are indicatively used within a process environment
• The theory of risk control using barrier models (the barrier between hazard and hazard realization)
• The concept of hazard realization – for example, loss of containment leading to ignition, leading to explosion/fire, leading to damage/injury
• How risk management tools are applied in process safety risk identification and assessment (Bowtie, HAZOP, HAZID, Event trees, What-if Analysis and FMEA), application in project phases from concept, design, start-up
• The concept of ALARP
• Hierarchy of risk controls:
  • inherent safety
  • elimination (including minimized inventories)
  • substitution
  • engineering controls (including the segregation and spacing of process plant)
  • administrative controls (procedural/behavioral).

2.3 Asset management and maintenance strategies

• Consideration of integrity standards at design stage inclusive of designing for maintainability and ease of inspection
• Consequences of failing to manage the integrity of assets
• Selection of plant and equipment suitable for the operating environment
• Asset integrity throughout the lifecycle, with inspection, testing, and maintenance regimes based on manufactures recommendations and findings of risk assessments
• Plant maintenance documentation and recording requirements for inspection, maintenance, aging, life extension, and obsolescence
• Different risk-based maintenance and inspection strategies available:
  • planned preventative
  • condition monitoring
  • breakdown/failure based
• The importance of, and reason for, the risk-based calibration of instrumentation.

2.4 Role and purpose and features of a permit-to-work system

• The purpose and effective use of a permit-to-work system, including the linkages to method statements and task analysis
• The key features of a permit-to-work:
  • scope of work
  • duration of work
  • known hazards and reference to risk assessments
  • isolation of energy sources and/or process equipment (lockout / tag out ‘LOTO’)
  • link to other open permits
  • specification of persons accepting permits and verification of their understanding of the risks and control measures
  • emergency controls
  • specific controls ie, gas testing
• Interfaces with adjacent plant/simultaneous operations
• Interfaces with contractors
• Types of permit and the circumstances when they would be typically used ie:
  • hot work
  • cold work
  • electrical
• The benefits and limitations of both electronic and paper based permit-to-work systems
• Typical circumstances when a work permit would not be required.

2.5 Safe shift handover

• Two-way with both participants taking joint responsibility
• Competence of those involved in handovers – technically astute but also effective communicators
• Shift handover must be:
  • given the highest priority
  • conducted face to face
  • undertaken using accurate verbal and written communication
  • based on analysis of the information needs of incoming staff
  • given as much time as necessary to allow for questioning, explanation and clarification
• Typical practical examples of information shared during shift handover including physical demonstration of plant state.

2.6 Contractor management

• Scale and identification of contractor use within the processing industries
• Procedures for the selection of contractors
• Periodic review of contractor health and safety performance/compliance with tender documentation
• Contractor induction, indicative content, and the obligation to provide information relating to site hazards/risks
• Siting of contractors accommodation
• Contractor ownership and site supervision/ representation
• Auditing of contractors health and safety compliance, before (method statements etc) during and after work is undertaken
• Contractor responsibilities including the handover of buildings, plant and equipment

Element 3: Process safety hazard control

3.1 Operating procedures

• What is meant by the term ‘safe operating envelope’ with reference to common parameters
• Purpose of operating procedures, types and who should be involved in their development
• What should be included within operating procedures
• Requirement for written procedures to be clearly understood by the end-user
• Verification systems to ensure that operating procedures remain current and accurate
• Limitations of operating procedures / potential consequences of deviating from them
• Importance of responding to alarms.

3.2 Safe start-up and shut-down

• Types of start-up and shutdown: planned, unplanned, emergency, staged, and delayed
• A pre-start-up safety review to confirm:
  • that any modifications meet appropriate management of change requirements
  • post pressure testing, the plant has been suitably drained and/or dried of contaminants blanks removed and drain valves, sample points and relevant vents closed ready for service
  • visual inspection of plant to determine that all work has been completed
  • all alarms, trips, and PRV’s are in working order
  • when required, ie, new plant or changes, full training given to relevant workers/contractors
• Necessity for alarm systems to be in full working operation and designed to alert, inform and guide the operators, allowing for diagnosis of problems
• Software and control systems fully operational
• Plant shut-down:
  • undertaken in accordance with shut-down procedures
  • assessment and planning of the impact of plant shut-down on adjacent plant / shared services.

3.3 Safety-critical performance standards

• Reasons for performance standards for both safety-critical systems and items of equipment
• In relation to safety-critical performance standards, the relevance of the elements of ‘FARSI’:
  • Functionality
  • Availability
  • Reliability
  • Survivability
  • Interdependency.

3.4 Utilities

• Uses of steam within the processing industries
• Properties of saturated and superheated steam
• Steam hazards and associated controls:
  • thermal expansion
  • prevention of the formation of vacuums
  • water in steam lines (water hammer)
• Water hazards and associated controls
  • vacuum formation during draining operations
  • hydrostatic testing/weight
  • cooling towers – legionella and water-vapor fog
• Characteristics of inert gases and their associated hazards
• Industrial uses of inert gases to include:
  • providing inert atmospheres/purging
  • blanketing of storage tanks
  • uses as a fire-fighting agent
  • pipeline freezing operations
  • nitrogen use as a backup instrument for air.

3.5 Electricity/static electricity

• Principles of electricity: basic circuitry for current to flow: the relationship between voltage, current and resistance
• Hazards of electricity:
  • voltage, frequency, duration, resistance, the current path
• Electric arcs and sparks (ignition hazards) and how they can occur during normal operations
• Electrostatic charges, how they are generated
• Control of electrostatic charges
  • bonding and grounding
• Planning for power outages:
  • use of generators / uninterruptible power sources (UPS) to provide emergency power.

3.6 Dangerous substances

• Physical forms of dangerous substances and how these can determine risk potential
• Meaning of explosive, oxidizing, flashpoint, flammable (and combustible) liquids, and gas categories.

3.7 Reaction hazards

• The effects of temperature, pressure and catalysts on rates of chemical reactions
• Meaning of the terms ‘ exothermic reaction’ and ‘endothermic reaction’
• Meaning of the term ‘thermal runaway reaction’, the likely process causes and possible consequences of occurrence
• Protective measures commonly used to mitigate the consequences of a thermal runaway reaction:
  • containment within a reactor (tested and designed to withstand maximum generated pressure)
  • crash cooling
  • drowning and quenching of reactor contents
  • emergency venting/dumping of reactants ie, to scrubber systems, knock-out drums, and flare stacks.

3.8 Bulk storage operations

• Hazards and risks including overfilling, effects of vacuum, overloading of foundations and failure modes for tank shells and associated pipework (creep, stress, thermal shock and brittle fracture)
• Siting of tanks (distance from people, property and other tanks containing dangerous substances) and ventilation requirements
• Filling of tanks, overfilling/alarms/tanker connections
• Floating roof tanks (both external and internal roof types), landing the roof, sinking the roof and rim seal fires/failures
• Fixed roof storage tanks, pressure and vacuum hazards (ref 3.4)
• Bunding of storage tanks including volume and area sizing, construction and valving arrangements
• Protection from extremes of weather
• Hazard potential of lightning strikes and suitable control measures
• Chemical warehousing to consider:
  • assessment and understanding of potential chemical hazards present
  • siting, location and security of warehousing
  • minimized inventories
  • separation and segregation of dangerous goods
  • control of ignition sources.

Element 4: Fire and explosion protection

4.1 Fire hazards

• Fire triangle and modes of heat transfer – conduction, convection and radiation
• Typical ignition sources
• Upper flammable (explosive) limit, lower flammable (explosive) limit and the risk from working within these limits (ie, flammable/explosive range)
• Mechanisms for, and the possible consequences of:
  • jet fires, pool fires
  • BLEVE’s, CVCE’s and UVCE’s.

4.2 Fire and explosion control

• Leak and fire detection systems, including gas/vapour detectors, spot, line, flame, and heat detection systems
• Passive fire protection, including passive fire protection of structures and equipment
• Active fire protection systems, including manual and automatic operation features
• Zoning / hazardous area classification and selection of suitable ignition protected electrical and mechanical equipment and critical control equipment
• Explosion protection systems including:
  • atmosphere control
  • pressure relief / explosion venting
  • automatic explosion suppression systems
  • automatic isolation
  • flame arrestors – active and passive isolation
• Benefits and limitations of chemical, foam and inert extinguishing systems
• Examples of fire protection systems for tank farms
• Mitigation of lightning strikes.

4.3 Dust explosions

• Why dust explosions occur
• Primary and secondary explosions
• Prevention of dust explosions to include:
  • an assessment of the risk / likelihood of explosion occurring
  • dusts replaced with granular or paste type products
  • prevention of explosive atmospheres by inerting
  • dust extraction systems and the necessity for good housekeeping practices
  • avoidance of ignition sources including the selection of appropriately rated electrical and non-electrical equipment
• Mitigation of dust explosions to consider:
  • explosion relief venting
  • explosion suppression and containment
  • plant siting and construction.

4.4 Emergency preparedness

• Purpose of an emergency plan
• Development of an emergency plan:
  • identification of possible scenarios and responses required based on probability of occurrence and consequence
  • selection of on-site/off-site workers/agencies to be involved in plan development
  • resources required based on likelihood/consequences of events occurring
  • external emergency response and their availability
  • on-site medical facilities / external medical facilities and their availability
  • requirement for both onsite and offsite emergency plans
• Content of an emergency plan:
  • systems for warning and alerting workers on-site, neighboring facilities and emergency services
  • delegation of responsibilities in the event of an emergency
  • expertise of teams involved in emergency response both internally and externally to the organization
  • evacuation / shelter arrangements
  • emergency shut down of plant and services
  • consideration of vulnerable people
  • systems for accounting for site workers
• Information management during emergencies including liaison with the media
• Theoretical training – table-top exercises and simulations in testing incident response
• Competency of emergency responders/command team
• Practical emergency scenario testing – familiarity with emergency alarms, evacuation routes and safe havens/shelters and drills
• Provision of information to the public who may be affected by an onsite emergency.

For More: Check NEBOSH HSE Certificate in Process Safety Management FAQs

Exam Policies

NEBOSH offers various exam policies. Some of them are:

1. Requests for access arrangements

Access arrangements and reasonable adjustments are changes that are approved in advance of an examination for allowing attainment to be demonstrated by candidates with either a permanent or long-term disability or learning difficulty, or temporary disability, illness, etc. However, the requests for access arrangements or reasonable adjustments must be made to NEBOSH by accredited course providers at least one month before the assessment.

2. Requests for special consideration

Special consideration refers to a procedure that may result in an adjustment to the marks of candidates who are not able to demonstrate attainment because of temporary illness, injury, indisposition, or an unforeseen incident at the time of the assessment. However, candidates who feel disadvantaged due to illness, distraction, or any other reason during the assessment must report this to the invigilator before leaving the examination room and request that their written statement, together with the invigilator’s comments on the statement, be sent by the accredited course provider to NEBOSH.

Further, requests for special consideration must be made to NEBOSH by the accredited course provider as soon as possible and no more than seven working days after the assessment.

3. Enquiries about results and appeals

NEBOSH applies detailed and in-depth procedures for moderating and checking assessment results before they are issued. It thereby ensures that the declared results are a fair and equitable reflection of the standard of performance by candidates. However, procedures for candidates or accredited course providers to enquire about results that do not meet their reasonable expectations. ‘Enquiry about result’ (EAR) must be made in writing within 20 working days of the date of issue of the result to which it relates.

NEBOSH HSE Certificate in Process Safety Management Study Guide

Understanding the Exam Objectives

The NEBOSH HSE Certificate in Process Safety Management is designed for covering a range of issues affecting process industries. However, the key objectives covered by this qualification include:

• Establishment of process management systems
• Asset management and maintenance strategies
• Safe start-up and shutdown of process plant
• Performance standards for safety-critical systems and equipment
• Hazards and controls for:
  • Chemical reactions
  • Bulk storage of dangerous substances
  • Fire and explosion
• Purpose and features of emergency plans

NEBOSH Resources: Where to study?

The Where to Study search facility can help candidates in shortlisting Learning Partners that match personal requirements. Using this, candidates can search for partners accredited to offer courses leading to specific qualifications. Location and mode of study preferences can also be factored into your search. 

Learning Partner Program

NEBOSH makes sure that every learner must register with an accredited Learning Partner and undertake the relevant learning before taking an assessment and gaining a qualification. However, these Learning Partners offer excellent learning and support to learners and will help in preparing for assessments. Further, there some factors you may wish to consider include:

1. Mode of Study

Options available in the learning program include face-to-face, distance learning, in-company training, and eLearning. 

2. Course Structure

If you choose classroom training, then you have the option to take day or evening classes.

3. Location 

NEBOSH exams are taken in over 130 countries. So, it is easier to study and sit your examinations locally.

4. On-going support 

During the preparation, you will get full support to help you prepare for your assessments.

5. Cost 

Every Learning Partner sets their own fees for reflecting the service offered. So, you can use the contact number of  Learning Partners for knowing about the fees structure.

Practice Tests

This can be a very essential part that can help you to prepare better for the exam. That is to say, NEBOSH HSE Certificate in Process Safety Management practice tests are important as by assessing yourself with these tests you will know about your weak and strong areas.  However, by practicing these tests, you will be able to improve your answering skills that will result in saving a lot of time. Moreover, the best way to start doing practice tests is after completing one full topic as this will work as a revision part for you. So, make sure to find the best practice sources. 

Prepare for NEBOSH HSE Certificate in Process Safety Management Exam!