Reviving knowledge and preventing accidents in process industries

In process industries the safety knowledge is well defined and formalized. The safety management systems, with related documents, is the internal safety knowledge repository. Standard codes, guide lines and good practices are the repository of shared knowledge within industries. In these industries the most accidents do not happen because a lack of knowledge, but because it has been ignored, or forgotten, or misunderstood, or misapplied by the operators. A terrific accidents reduction could be achieved by keeping alive the operational safety knowledge in industrial establishments. In plant operation, even though hazards are accurately identified and analyzed, failures, deviation, losses and other unexpected events are much more usual than accidents. These events, even without consequences, are essential for the safety management, as they may reveal the disruptions in practical operator knowledge. A knowledge management model is proposed to revive the operational knowledge, stimulated by the discussion of the unexpected events. If required, the internal proprietary knowledge may be reviewed by exploiting in a better way the shared knowledge, which is hidden in good practices and other shared documents. The model has been implemented by means of advanced information management tools and applied in a industrial facility.