NEBOSH PSM study plan
NEBOSH PSM · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Process safety management fundamentals and leadership & Process safety hazards and risk assessment
Define each element of a process safety management system and explain how the elements interlock
Distinguish process safety from occupational safety using at least three concrete examples
Identify the leadership behaviours and safety-culture indicators that drive process safety performance
Explain the purpose and structure of a process hazard analysis
Your checkpoint
A one-page annotated PSM element map linking all elements, with a written contrast of process vs occupational safety
Process safety hazards and risk assessment & Process safety management fundamentals and leadership
Classify major accident hazards by type (fire, explosion, toxic release, reactive chemistry)
Explain the concepts of hazard, risk, likelihood and consequence and apply them to a worked scenario
Describe how leadership sets risk tolerance and how that cascades into risk-assessment decisions
Interpret a simple risk matrix and justify a risk-ranking decision
Your checkpoint
A completed risk matrix applied to three worked hazard scenarios with written justification for each ranking
Process safety hazards and risk assessment
Compare HAZOP, what-if, FMEA and LOPA and select an appropriate method for a given scenario
Construct a HAZOP-style worksheet for a simple process node with credible deviations, causes and consequences
Explain how layers of protection and independent protection layers reduce risk
Outline the role of quantitative risk assessment and its main limitations
Your checkpoint
A HAZOP worksheet for one process node, including at least six deviations with causes, consequences and safeguards
Process design, engineering controls and change management & Process safety hazards and risk assessment
Explain inherently safer design principles and apply them to a proposed modification
Distinguish engineering controls from administrative controls and rank their reliability
Describe management of change: triggers, impact assessment, authorisation and close-out
Identify common weaknesses in pre-startup safety review and how to test for them
Your checkpoint
A management-of-change impact assessment for a hypothetical plant modification, including an inherently safer design critique
Process design, engineering controls and change management & Operating procedures, competence and human factors
Interpret key engineering-control safeguards such as relief systems, interlocks and detection systems
Explain how safety-critical equipment is identified and maintained
Draft operating procedures that meet good-practice criteria for clarity and completeness
Define competence requirements for a process operator role and design a verification method
Your checkpoint
A procedure for a safety-critical task plus a competence matrix for that role with verification methods
Operating procedures, competence and human factors
Explain human-factors concepts including workload, fatigue, ergonomics and human error types
Analyse a task for human-error potential and propose design or procedural controls
Describe how permit-to-work and shift handover systems fail and how to strengthen them
Explain how to build a positive safety culture through competence, communication and engagement
Your checkpoint
A human-error analysis of a shift handover or permit-to-work task with prioritised recommendations
Emergency preparedness, incident investigation and assurance & Process design, engineering controls and change management
Design an emergency response plan including scenarios, roles, alarms and evacuation criteria
Explain the purpose and structure of incident investigation and root-cause analysis
Apply a recognised root-cause technique to a described incident
Explain the role of audits, leading and lagging indicators and assurance in verifying PSM performance
Your checkpoint
A root-cause analysis of a described incident with a corrective-action plan and proposed leading indicators
Emergency preparedness, incident investigation and assurance & Process safety management fundamentals and leadership & Process safety hazards and risk assessment & Process design, engineering controls and change management & Operating procedures, competence and human factors
Integrate all five domains into a single coherent PSM narrative
Evaluate assurance findings and recommend prioritised improvements
Practise answering exam-style scenario questions under timed conditions
Identify and close remaining knowledge gaps across all domains
Your checkpoint
A full timed mock exam with self-marked answers and a written gap-closure plan
Milestones
Week 2: Can explain PSM elements and hazard/risk concepts from memory and correctly rank three scenarios on a risk matrix
Week 4: Can construct a HAZOP worksheet unaided and justify a management-of-change decision with an inherently safer design critique
Week 6: Can write a compliant procedure, a competence matrix and a human-error analysis without reference notes
Week 8: Scores at least 70% on the timed mock exam with no domain below 60% and a written gap-closure plan in place