Dates: Mar 2, 2021
Numerous incidents in recent years have been attributed to the flawed integrity of process equipment. Is your program up-to-date, compliant, and efficient? Dianne Coon, CSP, a CSP Certified Safety Professional with 10 years of experience in process safety and health, and safety and environment (HSE) management, has five tips for your asset integrity program.
When a Layer of Protection Analysis (LOPA) or Process Hazard Analysis (PHA) designates a specific instrument, relief device, or interlock as an Independent Protection Layer (IPL), that component becomes a critical barrier against catastrophic events. Both OSHA Process Safety Management (PSM) under 29 CFR 1910.119(j) and EPA Risk Management Program (RMP) under 40 CFR Part 68 require that safety-critical equipment used to mitigate risk undergo rigorous inspection, testing, and preventative maintenance. Under RAGAGEP standards such as ISA 84 / IEC 61511 (for safety instrumented systems) and CCPS guidelines, an IPL must meet strict availability, reliability, and proof-testing criteria to maintain its assigned Risk Reduction Factor (RRF). Incorporating every IPL directly into the Asset Integrity program ensures these safeguards are regularly tested, documented, and audited to guarantee they will function as designed during a process upset.
How Process Safety Enterprise® software helps: Integrated Equipment Forms, Centralized Process Safety Information (PSI), and Cross-Element Mapping.
Process Safety Enterprise® connects data across different PSM elements, allowing safeguard designations identified in PHA or LOPA modules to link directly to equipment records. By flagging critical pressure relief systems, safety instrumented functions (SIF), and interlocks as active IPLs on unified equipment forms, Process Safety Enterprise® ensures these components are automatically tagged for proof-testing schedules and preventative maintenance (ITPM) tasks rather than being overlooked as standard instrumentation.
An effective Asset Integrity program relies on cross-functional alignment beyond the traditional scope of plant maintenance and operations technicians. OSHA PSM and EPA RMP regulations emphasize management system integration, requiring clear accountability across engineering, procurement, management of change (MOC) committees, and corporate safety teams. Defining specific responsibilities ensures that chemical engineers correctly establish equipment design basis and inspection limits, procurement specialists source replacement parts compliant with original design specifications (Quality Assurance under 1910.119(j)(6)), and management facilitates timely resolution of equipment deficiencies under 1910.119(j)(5). RAGAGEP frameworks, such as CCPS Guidelines for Asset Integrity and Reliability, emphasize that clear organizational roles prevent gaps in oversight, ensure proper MOC review when equipment is modified, and maintain continuous accountability throughout the equipment lifecycle.
How Process Safety Enterprise® software helps: Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), Configurable Approval Workflows, and Management of Change (MOC) Integration.
Process Safety Enterprise® uses structured, automated workflows that assign step-by-step responsibilities across engineering, maintenance, management, and safety teams. For example, when an inspection reveals an equipment issue, the platform routes review and sign-off tasks through technical engineers, safety managers, and procurement leads—not just maintenance technicians. Automated notifications and task assignment tracking keep every stakeholder accountable across the entire equipment lifecycle.
Duplicating technical procedures, inspection frequencies, and operating limits across multiple systems creates significant regulatory risk and administrative burden. OSHA PSM (1910.119(j)(2)) and EPA RMP mandate that written procedures remain accurate, current, and readily accessible to personnel. When maintenance procedures or RAGAGEP limits exist in duplicate files—such as separate standalone manuals, local spreadsheets, and enterprise software—updates made in one location are frequently missed in another, leading to inconsistent execution, outdated practices, and audit non-compliance. Streamlining documentation into a single authoritative source establishes a "single source of truth," ensuring that field personnel perform tasks against the most recent engineering standards while reducing document control overhead.
How Process Safety Enterprise® software helps: Document Control System and Single-Source Equipment Knowledge Base.
Process Safety Enterprise® serves as a centralized, enterprise-wide "single source of truth" for technical data, maintenance procedures, and design basis documentation. Operating limits, inspection procedures, and design specifications are stored once in the platform's Document Control System and linked directly to relevant equipment forms. When a procedure or engineering limit is updated, it updates universally across all linked workflows, eliminating duplicate files, outdated local copies, and conflicting guidance.
RAGAGEP forms the mandatory technical baseline for inspection, testing, and maintenance practices under both OSHA 1910.119(j)(4)(ii) and EPA RMP regulations. Rather than relying on arbitrary schedules or legacy habits, facilities must establish inspection types and intervals based on published industry codes and standards—such as API 510 (pressure vessels), API 570 (piping systems), API 580/581 (Risk-Based Inspection), and ASME CSD-1 (controls and safety devices). Applying RAGAGEP ensures that testing frequencies align with specific degradation mechanisms, corrosion rates, and operational service conditions. Furthermore, when operating experience or damage-mechanism evaluations indicate a need for adjusted schedules, RAGAGEP provides the structured engineering methodologies required to document and justify those changes to regulators.
How Process Safety Enterprise® software helps: Customizable ITPM Scheduling, Intelligent Form Builder, and Design Basis Tracking.
Process Safety Enterprise® enables facilities to build equipment forms and inspection templates tailored to specific RAGAGEP codes (such as API 510, API 570, API 580/581, or ASME standards). Facilities can set and adjust Inspection, Testing, and Preventive Maintenance (ITPM) task frequencies based on damage mechanisms or risk-based inspection (RBI) data. The system maintains a complete audit trail justifying any changes to inspection intervals, ensuring compliance with both regulatory standards and good engineering practices.
Executing an Asset Integrity program through a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) or Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) platform is essential for satisfying the rigorous recordkeeping demands of OSHA PSM and EPA RMP. Paragraph 1910.119(j)(4)(iv) requires detailed documentation for every inspection and test, including the date, equipment identifier, test description, person performing the service, and exact results. Digital maintenance workflows automate the scheduling of proof tests, enforce step-by-step procedure completion, track equipment deficiencies to closure, and provide complete, auditable traceability. By converting these processes to a digital format, facilities ensure that overdue tasks are automatically flagged, MOC workflows are linked directly to maintenance assets, and compliance data is readily retrievable during regulatory audits or incident investigations.
How Process Safety Enterprise® software helps: Mechanical Integrity Workflows, Action Tracking System, and Real-Time KPI Dashboards.
Process Safety Enterprise® utilizes built-in visual workflows and electronic action item tracking to manage the complete Mechanical Integrity process—from equipment forms and ITPM scheduling to engineering review and deficiency closure. The system's workflows automatically route equipment discrepancies discovered during inspections directly into structured action tracking or Management of Change (MOC) pipelines. Simultaneously, dashboard reporting gives teams immediate visibility into pending tasks, inspection results, and overall program compliance without relying on fragmented spreadsheets or disconnected paper files.
In this demo, learn about the Dashboard functionality for the Asset Integrity (AI) workflow module in Process Safety Enterprise® software. The dashboard allows users to create reports for upcoming and overdue AI inspections as well as AI findings open and overdue reports.
As one of the 14 elements of the OSHA PSM standard, a comprehensive Asset Integrity (AI) program is fundamental for compliance and risk reduction. Yet, Asset Integrity findings (also referred to as Mechanical Integrity) remain on top of OSHA’s citation list during Process Safety Management regulation 29 CFR 1910.119 inspections. Our team of experts can help your facility optimize safety. Call us today at 1.844.ioMosaic or write us a note. We would love to hear from you.