TOSCA · Total Operation management for Safety Critical Activities

Over the recent past the accumulation of major mishaps, crises and accidents have made it clear that organisations must still improve their capabilities to address safety “not a stand-alone activity that is separate from the main activities and processes of the organization” but as an integrated part of critical project management. Further it is critical also to understand how weaknesses not only in the technical but also in the organisational interfaces can contribute to significant losses and major industrial accidents.TOSCA (Total Operation Management for Safety Critical Activities) is concerned with the integration of industrial operations into a total performance management system so that concerns about safety, quality and productivity are addressed in an integrated way during life-cycle of a project or a product. The industrial domain of application regards process control industries (e.g., chemical industries, power generation, offshore oil & gas platforms, etc.) that may vary in size, regulatory and cultural aspects. TOSCA will examine vulnerabilities of the technical, human and organisational systems that may have an impact in safety, quality and productivity. Safety critical activities can be seen as ‘projects’ or ‘safety cases’ that must be examined from the perspectives of many stakeholders (e.g., different departments, subcontractors, regulatory authorities, etc) and decision-making at different organizational levels (e.g., top managers, supervisors and operators). A participative approach is required that should collect knowledge from the sharp-end operators and integrate it with formal descriptions of how the system works and how responses should be coordinated across the whole organisation. Furthermore, TOSCA should enhance the management of changes and provide a facility for testing out the effectiveness of the possible action plan devised.