NEBOSH PSM study guide
NEBOSH PSM · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The NEBOSH Process Safety Management (PSM) qualification is designed for professionals who need to understand and manage process safety risks in high-hazard industries. It is relevant to managers, supervisors, engineers, and safety practitioners working in sectors such as oil and gas, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. The NEBOSH PSM study guide has 5 sections and about 1,398 words.
01Process Safety Management Fundamentals and Leadership
PSM is a management system aimed at preventing catastrophic releases of hazardous substances and major accident events. It differs from occupational safety: the concern is low-probability, high-consequence events affecting many people, plant and environment, not slips and trips.
282 words, about 1 min02Process Safety Hazards and Risk Assessment
Candidates must recognise the main hazard families: fire, explosion (including vapour cloud, dust and boiling liquid expanding vapour explosion), toxic release, reactive chemistry, and asphyxiation. Understand the fire triangle and flammability envelope - flash point, autoignition temperature, lower and upper flammability limits - and how inerting, ventilation and elimination of ignition sources control them.
278 words, about 1 min03Process Design, Engineering Controls and Change Management
Design should follow the inherent safety hierarchy: minimise (reduce inventory), substitute (less hazardous material), moderate (dilute, refrigerate, lower pressure) and simplify. Engineering controls - relief systems, interlocks, safety instrumented systems, containment, detection and deluge - sit above procedural controls in the hierarchy of control.
272 words, about 1 min04Operating Procedures, Competence and Human Factors
Operating procedures must be accurate, current, written for the task and available at the point of use. They should cover normal operation, startup, shutdown, emergency actions and abnormal situations.
290 words, about 1 min05Emergency Preparedness, Incident Investigation and Assurance
Emergency plans must address credible major accident scenarios identified in risk assessment. Elements include scenario-based planning, alarm and communication systems, evacuation and escape routes, assembly and accounting for personnel, emergency shutdown, mutual aid, and liaison with offsite responders.
276 words, about 1 min