Management of Changes to Processes

The employer must thoroughly evaluate changes to a process to fully assess their impact on employee safety and health, and to determine needed changes to the operating procedures. The employer must establish and implement written procedures to manage changes to process chemicals, technology, equipment, and procedures, and changes to the facility that affect a covered process. These written procedures must ensure that the following considerations are addressed prior to any change:

• The technical basis for the proposed change
• The impact of the change on employee safety and health
• Modifications to operating procedures
• The necessary time period for the change
• Authorization requirements for the proposed change

Before starting up a new process or making changes to an existing process, the employer must inform employees who operate the process, as well as maintenance and contract employees whose job tasks will be affected by a change in the process. If the change results in a change in the required process safety information, employers must update such information accordingly.

To learn more about Process Safety Management visit our Cal/OSHA Process Safety Management Online Training web page.