Hydrocarbon Processing - June 2021 - 74

Digitalization
People generally remember...
(learning activities)
10% of what they read
20% of what they hear
30% of what they see
50% of what they see
and hear
70% of what they say
and write
90% of what
they do
Read
Hear
View images
Watch movies
Attend exhibits/sites
Watch a demonstration
Participate in hands-on workshops
Design collaborative lessons
Simulate, model or experience a lesson
Design/perform a presentation, " Do the real thing "
FIG. 2. The learning pyramid or cone of learning.
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
Procedure steps (before)
Procedure steps (after)
FIG. 3. Improved procedure clarity of past projects.
Impact of procedures during operator training. Once an
operator reads a procedure, shadows an experienced operator
and completes an assessment, they are " signed off as qualified. "
Industry data indicates that operators may only have experienced
40% of their procedures because equipment is always
running and other priorities. Following qualification, the operator
is released to perform the work. Therefore, procedure
quality and specificity are the building blocks for developing
operator competency.
Procedure formats and templates vary from company to
company, even from site to site. Some companies have implemented
digital procedure solutions, requiring many plant resources
and subsequent procedure conversions. Other companies
maintain procedures manually with internal document
control systems. Whether operators need to print procedures
or take a tablet out in the field and sign off steps as they are
completed, both formats require operators to read procedures
for understanding.
It is well-documented that individuals learn and retain
~90% using simulation and doing vs. ~10% when reading procedures
(FIG. 2). The industry challenge is to move operator
training-proactive development-down the pyramid1
to increase
individual retention and reduce an operator's time to
full competency.
Ultimately, to see a step-change improvement in operational
discipline, procedures must be developed, implemented and
74 JUNE 2021 | HydrocarbonProcessing.com
Factor increase
6
5
4
3
2
1
People are able to...
(learning outcomes)
Define
Describe
List
Explain
Demonstrate
Apply
Practice
Analyze
Define
Create
Evaluate
maintained based on successful execution by the end user-the
operator-and they should be clear, concise and action-based.
Employing best practices. The author's company employs
two best practices to ensure accurate procedures and standard
operator execution. First, a line walk is performed for procedures
with the resident SME to accurately document procedure
execution using photographs, and an action-based checklist
is created. This visual walkthrough identifies gaps in the
written procedure and the actual operating practice.
All deviations from the documented procedure are reviewed
and approved using the site MOC process. Using the author's
company's patented technology, users can perform the newly
documented procedure in an immersive photo-based environment
(called the digital replica) where they can interact and
perform the procedure. This simulation allows operators, engineers,
production specialists and others the chance to visually
verify procedure accuracy.
The second best practice is the addition of action steps,
better known as a checklist. This practice has significantly improved
safety performance in air travel, medical procedures
and other sectors. During the line walk with the SME, each
action the operator is expected to complete is confirmed and
photographed. Multiple actions are regularly discovered within
a single procedure line. Below are two examples:
* The procedure line item, " Close all bleeders and
open-ended lines, " resulted in 12 action steps-
12 bleeders and open-ended valves required closing
to ensure that no contents left primary containment
and/or caused an environmental incident.
* The procedure line item, " Manually close all
condensate controllers outside, " resulted in
20 action steps to close 16 valves.
On average, the author's company's process eliminates procedure
generalities and ambiguities and results in 2.4 times
more procedure steps that are clear and concise, action-focused
steps with visual clarity. A summary of past projects is
depicted in FIG. 3.
Takeaway. Operational discipline and speed to operator
competency are and will remain competitive advantages due
to the current and projected attrition slated for plant sites.
Clear and concise procedures, standardized on plant operation
that have objective assessments, are foundational building
blocks to ensure operator competency. Manufacturing
plants can build operator competency and deliver business
results safely and successfully by using the established best
practices detailed here, combined with the visual clarity that
simulation provides.
LITERATURE CITED
1 Dale, E.,
" The learning pyramid, " online: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Learning_pyramid
FRAN MONTEMURRO, Director of Operations at Voovio, is
an operations leader with more than 30 yr of experience in
manufacturing. Over his career, Mr. Montemurro has been a plant
manager at multiple DuPont sites, including highly hazardous
PSM and EPA/RMP operations, as well as discrete manufacturing
facilities. His teams were awarded both the E.I. DuPont Safety
Excellence Medal and E.I. DuPont Engineering Excellence Award.
Procedure steps
Factor
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learning_pyramid https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learning_pyramid http://www.HydrocarbonProcessing.com
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