Why is process safety leadership important? In high-hazard industries, regulators expect companies to assess their leadership against established principles and implement improvement plans. Those elements are fundamental to major accident prevention.
Scapa Energy’s structured, evidence-based Process Safety Leadership (PSL) assessment offers clear insights and a practical roadmap, guided by our experienced team of former regulators and industry leaders.
We offer four phases of support: the first and second phases are core steps, while phases three and four are tailored to the organisation.
Phase 1 – Do you do what you say you do?
An initial review of your existing management systems, such as the Corporate Major Accident Prevention Policy (CMAPP), and Safety and Environmental Management System (SEMS), checks regulatory compliance and clarity, benchmarking against industry standards and peer data. This highlights strengths and opportunities in recognised management frameworks such as the IOGP.
Example audit benchmarking against the IOGP Management System framework and HSE guidance.
Phase 2: Leadership Engagement
A two-person team (a former regulator and an industry executive) sits down with people across your team from Board level to frontline staff in structured sessions designed to assess leadership, visibility, workforce engagement, contractor management, assurance, performance, and learning. We use 17 targeted questions aligned with the eight Process Safety Leadership principles, leveraging insights from over 200 confidential interviews across more than 20 leadership teams in high-hazard sectors.
This benchmarking data provides an accurate industry comparison and gap assessment against the principles. The resulting assessments offer clear, credible, and actionable insights, guiding you toward proven good practice and measurable improvements to manage risk.
These sessions, complemented by workforce perspectives, provide a comprehensive 360° evaluation of leadership effectiveness. Outcomes include an evidence-based report with actionable recommendations and confidential coaching reports for each leader.
Tailored Phases 3 & 4: Operating Discipline & Major Accident Hazard Workshop
Where appropriate, we conduct on-site assessments to observe safety practices, comparing frontline ‘work as done’ with documented systems and leadership intent. Additionally, our one-day Major Accident Hazard (MAH) workshop directly engages your team to prioritise actions addressing critical gaps.
Outcome – Implementing the Process Safety Improvement Plan (PSIP)
The final step is a structured Process Safety Improvement Plan (PSIP). This is the strategic roadmap aligning safety initiatives with business goals and regulatory compliance. The PSIP identifies clear priorities — from leadership training to procedural enhancements — and sets measurable benchmarks. Implementing the PSIP deeply embeds process safety leadership, ensuring sustained improvements in risk management and operational reliability.
Value – Data-Driven Insight & Industry Benchmarking
Scapa Energy provides unique value through our strong industry connections, including roles co-chairing the Step Change in Safety Process Safety Leadership workgroup – developing guidance and support for creating Process Safety Improvement Plans and presenting alongside the Health & Safety Executive at the OEUK HSE Conference 2025.
Next Steps – Invite Us to Share Insights
Scapa Energy is your trusted advisor in process safety leadership. To learn more, invite us for a briefing session where we present anonymised benchmarking data, share successful PSL case studies, and explain how our structured approach can benefit your organisation.
Contact us at: info@scapaenergy.uk