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Writing Effective Operating Procedures

 

 

  

Program Duration

:

5 Days

Program Date

:

 3-7 July,2010

Program Location

:

Cairo, Egypt

Program Fees

:

US$2950/Per Person

 

 

 

PROGRAM INTRODUCTION:

 

Discover the Secrets of Easy-to-Follow Operating Procedures

Discover the secrets of producing logical, clearly written, and easy-to-follow procedures for operating your process safely and efficiently to produce quality product. Through several workshops and class discussions, you will thoroughly cover the issues you face in creating or upgrading your operating procedures.

Write for Your Audience

After taking this course, you will be prepared to write operating procedures for your primary audience: the operators who do the work and the personnel who train the operators.

Comply with OSHA, EPA, and ISO Requirements

To be effective in maintaining process safety (and meeting OSHA and EPA requirements) and process and product quality (and meeting standards such as ISO 9000), your operating procedures must be logical, clearly written, and easy to follow. To the extent possible, you must incorporate language commonly used and understood by the operators and/or their trainers. Ideally, the written instructions should be developed by the end users, with technical and clerical assistance. This course emphasizes the steps required to achieve OSHA process safety management and EPA risk management program compliance. However, the concepts included in the course address the keys to the development and use of effective procedures and are generally applicable to a wide variety of industries, organizations, and regulatory requirements.

 

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES:

  • Safety regulations and quality standards are requiring that you develop new procedures and/or revise the ones you have
  • A low ratio of students to instructors (20:1) means that you will have the time to get your questions answered and your concerns addressed
  • Writing procedures from the workers' perspective will prove beneficial
  • You will be able to anticipate and avoid procedural errors that can cause accidents or reduce quality/productivity at your facility
  • Clear, concise, and accurate procedures will help you improve the overall safety and efficiency of your operations

 

PROGRAM OUTLINES:

Introduction: What Is an Effective Procedure?
Workshop: Writing Effective Instructions
Regulations and Standards for Operating Procedures
Deciding What Procedures Are Needed
Workshop: Developing a Task Inventory
Gathering Information for a Procedure

  • The three "islands" of information
  • When/why the procedure will be performed
  • Main steps, substeps, details, hazards, and precautions
  • Workshop: Performing a task analysis

Formatting the Procedures

  • Document control features – headers and footers
  • Introductory items — procedure titles, sections, and section titles
  • Step-by-step formats
  • Work documentation features
  • Discussion: Which formats are right for your facility?

Writing Step-by-Step Instructions

  • 10 rules for writing the most effective instructions
  • Workshop: Improving a set of step-by-step instructions

Operating Limits and Deviations in Batch Operations

  • Defining operating limits, deviations, and more

Identifying deviations that may occur, including errors of omission and errors of

  • commission
  • Defining procedural boundaries using conditional statements, warnings, and cautions
  • Workshop: Creating a procedure from the task analysis information

Operating Limits and Deviations in Continuous Operations

  • Listing process parameters and set points
  • Identifying the worst-case and more likely consequences
  • Developing troubleshooting steps, preventive measures, and corrective actions
  • Workshop: Developing a table of operating limits and troubleshooting guidelines

Verifying, Validating, and Certifying Procedures

  • Workshop: Conducting a field walkthrough

Managing Changes to Procedures

  • What is considered a "change"?
  • Protocol for making and distributing changes

Timeliness vs. accuracy, quality assurance, and buy-in

 

WHO SHOULD ATTEND:

  • Know which of your operating activities require written procedures
  • Learn the right way to gather information for your procedures so that the information is complete, accurate, and representative of all relevant viewpoints
  • Come away with a clear vision of the procedure format(s) that will work at your facility, satisfying the needs of both the trainee and the experienced operator
  • Learn 10 rules to help you write every instruction effectively
  • Understand the importance of having detailed written procedures that address deviations that may occur
  • Come away from the course with these valuable materials:
  • Checklists for identifying missing procedures, gathering procedure information, and writing step-by-step instructions
  • A complete notebook of course materials, including examples of acceptable procedure formats