7-Management of Change

The Whys ?

A minor change may result in a major accident even for spare part replacement.

The assessment of risks related to the permanent or temporary change constitutes a crucial step. The identification, analysis and classification of the risks permit to define the most appropriate prevention actions covering the technical, human and organizational dimensions. They have to be updated and regularly audited whenever there is a permanent or temporary change.

The must do's

Any permanent or temporary technical, technological or organizational change as well assigning an employee to a critical position must be subject to a systematic risk assessment prior to the change authorization; the residual risks after the change must remain acceptable.

For any change, one must :

• Systematically initiate a formalized request ;
• Assess and analyze the risks so as to decide on the associated prevention and protection measures ;
• Validate and authorize the change ;
• Carry out the plan of implementation of the prevention and protection measures including staff training and habilitation ;
• Check the conformity of the measures through a systematic safety review prior to start-up or restarting of the installations after the change ;
• Update the plans and associated procedures.