PR98349

CHICAGO, Oct. 24, 2022 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

-- Data from Sphera's latest Safety Report reveals a persistent gap between the

intent and reality of process safety management, while ESG is a growing

consideration for PSM and ORM professionals

While there has been continued expansion of corporate ESG efforts, and most

companies have embraced safety as part of their corporate culture, there are

still shortcomings to address in improving process safety performance, Sphera's

new 2022 Safety Report reveals.

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Sphera, a leading global provider of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)

performance and risk management software, data and consulting services,

surveyed 280 process safety and operational risk management professionals from

around the world on the current state of process safety management (PSM) and

operational risk management (ORM). Results show that 69% of respondents

indicate there is a gap between their companies' process safety goals and

process safety as they experience it. This is a significant increase from the

2021 survey, in which 21% of respondents reported a gap between safety intent

and the reality of what happens. The finding that only 67% of safety-critical

maintenance is achieved in a typical month illustrates the disconnect between

intent and actuality.  

Persistent challenges, such as limited resources and limited budgets, could at

least partially account for the widening gap. Trends such as The Great

Resignation could also be a contributing factor, because process safety may be

compromised when employees leave and their expertise is lost.

The top three challenges identified by respondents as hindering effective PSM

are management challenges (46%), training and competency (45%) and insufficient

engagement of the front lines to improve awareness (34%). Respondents indicated

that the top three key safety performance drivers are reducing operational and

major accident hazard (MAH) risk exposure (66%), operational excellence (57%)

and regulatory compliance (49%).

For seven years, Sphera's annual Safety Report has examined the current state

of PSM and ORM in the context of global events and macroeconomic trends.

Respondents came from several global industries, such as Manufacturing, Oil and

Gas, Chemicals/Petrochemicals, Energy, Construction and Engineering.

The adoption rate of technology solutions is identified as a particular area

for improvement in the Safety Report. Virtually all respondents (96%) said that

technology enables effective PSM and ORM. However, adoption rates don't yet

reflect the perceived value, with only 11% of respondents indicating that their

company utilizes the full range of technology solutions available. A number of

factors, such as lower maturity levels and the challenges involved with

connecting disparate systems and data, could be attributed to this slow rate of

adoption.

"The 2022 Safety Report reveals a persistent gap between process safety goals

and reality, and the disconnect between awareness and adoption of technology

solutions is an additional hurdle for organizations to overcome," said Scott

Lehmann, Sphera's vice president of product management for operational risk

management. "Technology that provides real-time data and actionable risk

assessments can help connect the dots across the organization to reduce the gap

and drive safety improvement efforts. Relying on a range of tools for

compliance and improved, predictive decision-making can help businesses keep

their people safe and operations productive."

Safety is the foundation of any strong organization, and PSM and ORM play a

vital role in a company's ESG performance. Within the context of the ESG

framework, PSM is about keeping people—and the communities in which businesses

operate—safe. For the first time in the Safety Survey, PSM and ORM

professionals were asked where PSM fits within their company's ESG program.

While an overwhelming majority (87%) said PSM does fit into their company's ESG

efforts, there is some slight division over which aspect of ESG—environment,

social or governance—applies most clearly to their PSM program. However, when

asked which impact scenarios are the most concerning for their business, 71% of

respondents said environmental impact scenarios.

"It has become increasingly clear that ESG is no longer a nice-to-have, but a

must-have," added Paul Marushka, Sphera's CEO and president. "A company's risk

mitigation efforts are intrinsically tied to ESG performance, and

operationalizing ESG across the organization will drive informed

decision-making and help PSM and ORM professionals manage and reduce ESG risk."

About the Safety Survey

Sphera surveyed 280 process safety and operational risk management

professionals on the current state of PSM and ORM within their organizations

for the 2022 Safety Report (

https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3680560-1&h=646495979&u=https%3A%2F%2Fsphera.com%2Freport%2Fsafety-report-2022%2F&a=2022+Safety+Report

). Respondents came from several global industries, such as Manufacturing, Oil

and Gas, Energy, Chemicals/Petrochemicals, Construction and Engineering, among

others.

About Sphera

Sphera is the leading provider of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)

performance and risk management software, data and consulting services focusing

on Environment, Health, Safety & Sustainability (EHS&S), Operational Risk

Management and Product Stewardship. For more than 30 years, we have served over

6,700 customers and a million-plus users in 80 countries to help companies keep

their people safe, their products sustainable and their operations productive.

Learn more about Sphera at https://sphera.com. Follow Sphera on LinkedIn (

https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3680560-1&h=2560236372&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fcompany%2Fsphera%2F&a=LinkedIn

).

For media inquiries, please contact:

Astrid Dickinson

sphera@aspectusgroup.com

SOURCE  Sphera