Process Safety Management
Assess Performance. Strengthen Systems. Sustain Results.
Effective Process Safety Management is built over time.
It requires more than policies, procedures, and compliance activities. Effective PSM systems integrate regulatory requirements, clearly defined responsibilities, technical work processes, workforce participation, performance measurement, and management oversight into day-to-day facility operations.
Organizations may need to establish a new program, address gaps within an existing system, resolve audit findings, respond to organizational changes, or prepare for a regulatory inspection.
Smith & Burgess evaluates Process Safety Management systems, establishes priorities, and provides technical and program-level services aligned with facility operations, available resources, and applicable requirements.
Process Safety Management Assessments
Understanding current performance is the first step toward measurable improvement.
Smith & Burgess evaluates PSM governance, individual program elements, roles and responsibilities, documentation, work processes, field execution, performance measurement, and interfaces between functions.
Assessment findings distinguish regulatory gaps, documentation deficiencies, execution issues, and broader program weaknesses. Results are organized into a prioritized roadmap based on risk, compliance significance, resource requirements, and operational impact.
Process Safety Management Improvement
Every organization is at a different stage of PSM maturity.
Some facilities require targeted corrections to individual program elements. Others need broader program restructuring following audits, organizational changes, resource constraints, or inconsistent execution.
Smith & Burgess converts identified gaps into defined actions, responsibilities, schedules, and performance measures. Services may include element-level revisions, program documentation, workflow alignment, recommendation resolution, management systems, and technical coordination across responsible functions.
Process Safety Audits
Audits should do more than identify deficiencies.
An effective audit evaluates both regulatory compliance and how PSM requirements are executed within facility operations. Smith & Burgess conducts audits through document review, personnel interviews, record sampling, and field verification.
Findings are tied to applicable requirements and observed conditions, allowing organizations to distinguish isolated deficiencies from systemic program issues. Audit results provide a technically supported basis for corrective-action planning and management review.
Governance and Program Ownership
Many Process Safety weaknesses develop at the interfaces between organizational functions.
Responsibilities become fragmented, recommendations remain unresolved, and critical activities may not receive the required level of oversight.
Smith & Burgess defines governance structures, program ownership, functional responsibilities, escalation requirements, and management review processes. Clear interfaces across operations, engineering, maintenance, inspection, and Process Safety establish accountability and promote consistent execution.
Our Approach
Strong Process Safety Management systems are not built simply by adding more procedures.
Our objective is not to replace an organization’s existing PSM system. Smith & Burgess evaluates current programs to determine what is working, where gaps exist, and which targeted changes will provide the greatest value.
We assess how requirements are translated into responsibilities, work processes, records, field activities, and management oversight. This approach distinguishes documentation gaps from execution issues and identifies where adjustments to governance, resources, or technical practices are required.
Recommendations are prioritized according to risk, regulatory significance, operational impact, and organizational capacity. Smith & Burgess then works alongside client teams to implement focused technical and program-level actions that address identified gaps while retaining existing systems where they remain effective.
The result is a PSM system that clarifies expectations, strengthens accountability, supports ongoing compliance, and supports safe, reliable operations.
Whether assessing an existing program, responding to audit findings, addressing individual PSM elements, or establishing clearer governance and ownership, Smith & Burgess provides services aligned with facility requirements and priorities.
Contact Smith & Burgess to discuss your Process Safety Management objectives.