Survey on the Current Status of Maintenance Procedures and Ergonomic Improvements in PSM Workplace

Objective: The purpose of this study is to survey PSM managers and workers about how work procedures are written and utilized when performing maintenance work at PSM targeted workplaces, and what kind of procedures workers would like to see in the actual workplace. The purpose is to find out how to improve them.<br/>Background: The importance of safety management is becoming more prominent in PSM workplaces that handle chemicals in large quantities, but most of the major industrial accidents are related to procedures, such as failure to prepare work procedures, inconsistency with the site, and failure to comply with procedures. However, until now, there is a lack of research on how to prepare work procedures to help prevent human errors.<br/>Method: In this study, 36 PSM managers were asked how they write and use maintenance work procedures in their PSM operations in July 2024, and 43 maintenance workers were asked how they would like the procedure to be written. <br/>Results: It was confirmed that there was a difference between the factors included in the procedure to aid workers' cognition, as determined by the company, and the factors that workers wanted to be included, with a p-value of 0.059 at a significance level of 0.1.<br/>Conclusion: Workers perform their jobs according to work procedures, but accidents are constantly increasing due to improper procedures. Therefore, it is necessary to create maintenance work procedures that are easy for maintenance workers to read and understand.<br/>Application: The procedures should identify important parts with symbols, provide photographs and drawings of the workpiece, and provide information on process safety measures to be taken before work is performed. In addition, written procedures should be reviewed by workers and continually improved.