Conduct of Operations
Day to day operating discipline across shift handover, alarm response, and abnormal situation management
What this element is and why it matters
Conduct of Operations is the daily operating discipline that converts the formal PSM system into genuinely safe operation, covering how shift teams hand over, how operators respond to alarms, how abnormal situations are managed, how unit walks are conducted, and how communication discipline is sustained between the control room and the field. The Naval Reactors model, with its formal communication, repeat back protocol, and integrity in reporting, is the canonical reference. Texas City and Buncefield both included Conduct of Operations findings, and our team helps your facility build the discipline that prevents them.
Individual significance for organisations
Conduct of Operations is where management system intention becomes operating floor reality. Sites with strong discipline here catch precursor events before they escalate, while sites without it experience the same precursors and simply miss them. The element is also the most operator engaged of all, because investing in it sends a clear signal that the organisation respects operating discipline.
Contribution to Risk Based Process Safety (RBPS)
Conduct of Operations is the operational embodiment of every pillar three element. It activates Operating Procedures (Element 8), enforces Safe Work Practices (Element 9), integrates with Asset Integrity (Element 10) through integrity operating window response, and channels Workforce Involvement (Element 4) through shift discipline. Element 15 is also a strong leading indicator of culture maturity under Element 1.
What compliant execution looks like
How we implement this element
A focused six step methodology calibrated to deliver conduct of operations as a working capability rather than a documented compliance artefact.
We observe current shift practice across handover, alarm response, walk downs, and communication, and benchmark it against the CCPS, ASM Consortium, and Naval Reactors models.
We build a formal handover checklist covering process status, ongoing permits to work, alarm patterns, MOC in progress, and abnormal situation history, with signoff required.
We align the response with EEMUA 191 and ISA 18.2 priority response times, specify the operator action per priority, and integrate it with the HMI per ISA 101.01.
We adopt the Abnormal Situation Management framework covering situation awareness, decision support, and escalation paths, and align it with an operator workload analysis.
We establish a three way communication protocol of instruction, repeat back, and confirmation, with the phonetic alphabet for critical readings, and integrate it into the shift culture.
We set integrity operating window response per API RP 584, give the operator clear authority to act within the envelope, and route any excursion to engineering escalation.
Element implementation flow chart
A decision gated workflow that shows the actual sequence of activities from initiation through steady state operation, with key decision points highlighted.
What we produce
- An operating discipline audit and gap report
- A standardised shift handover checklist
- An alarm response procedure per priority
- An abnormal situation management programme charter
- Three way communication training and protocol
- An integrity operating window response procedure and operator authority matrix
Where execution fails
- A shift handover done verbally with no documented signoff
- Operator alarm response that is not aligned to priority
- Walk downs skipped during high workload periods
- Informal communication with no repeat back discipline
Codes this element is built on
Explore related elements in this framework
Risk Based Process Safety (RBPS) full element index
Talk to us about implementing Conduct of Operations
We can scope this element implementation against your facility, regulatory context, and existing management system maturity, then integrate it with the other Risk Based Process Safety (RBPS) elements you already operate.