2012 is set to be a very exciting year. Following the success of its Process Safety Leadership training which began in the autumn, the Skills Academy will celebrate the launch of its second Process Safety Management (PSM) course at the beginning of the year and it will also be holding a Process Safety Management Conference on the 15 March 2012: Raising the bar on Process Safety.

The theme of the conference will be the launch of the National Strategy for Process Safety Management. The conference will also present recent PSM case studies with research updates and networking opportunities. Judith Hackitt, HSE Chair, will make the keynote speech alongside other prominent speakers from the Process Industry sector.

The one day conference will provide a topical afternoon session, ensuring delegates are provided with plenty of time for discussion, debate and learning.

The power and the success of the national PSM strategy depends on your input, and so I would encourage you to make a note of the date and come along and contribute.   

Process Safety should permeate through the culture of a Top Tier COMAH company from its business leaders to operator technicians. Senior Executives must "get it", understand the major risks and manage the company accordingly. At the sharp end, Operator Technicians must have the training and levels of competence to deal with the processes confidently and safely.

I look forward to seeing you at the PSM Conference in March.

Allan Laing
Chief Executive Pentagon Chemicals 
and  Chair of NSAPI and the Process Safety Management Board