Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
The. most. common. problems. and. errors. found. in. SOPs. are. summarized. in. the.
following.list:
.
1..
Enumerating responsibilities for carrying out a procedure rather than stating
who does the procedure and how.
.Regulations.are.the.place.for.delineating.
responsibilities,.not.SOPs.
.
2..
Failure to clearly state who carries out which step in the procedure.
.The.
“Who”.is.as.important.as.the.“What?”
.
3..
Inclusion of steps or procedures performed by persons outside the organi-
zation.
.This.information.has.no.place.in.an.SOP.because.it.involves.actions.
that. are. beyond. the. direct. control. of. the. organization.. Include. only. those.
steps.that.are.carried.out.by.the.employees.in.the.immediate.organization;.
all.else.is.irrelevant.
.
4..
Vagueness and imprecision.
. What. if. the. reader. of. the. SOP. cannot. igure.
out.exactly.who.(job.description).is.required.to.carry.out.a.step.in.the.pro-
cedure,.and.furthermore.cannot.determine.precisely.how.it.is.to.be.carried.
out?.Obviously,.then,.the.SOP.has.failed.in.its.primary.objective,.commu-
nication..This.is.why.a.prime.function.of.the.reviewer.is.to.check.to.see.if.
the.writer.has.conveyed.the.message.clearly.and.unequivocally.
hoW soPs Work
Safe. or. standard. operating. procedures. describe. tasks. to. be. performed,. data. to. be.
recorded,.operating.conditions.to.be.maintained,.samples.to.be.collected,.and.safety.
and. health. precautions. to. be. taken.. The. procedures. must. be. technically. accurate,.
understandable.to.employees,.and.revised.periodically.to.ensure.that.they.relect.cur-
rent.operations..Operating.procedures.should.be.reviewed.by.engineering.staff.and.
operating.personnel.to.ensure.that.they.are.accurate.and.provide.practical.instruc-
tions.on.how.to.actually.carry.out.job.duties.safely.
Operating.procedures.include.speciic.instructions.or.details.on.what.steps.should.
be. taken. or. followed. in. carrying. out. the. stated. procedures.. These. instructions. for.
each. operating. procedure. should. include. the. applicable. safety. precautions. and.
should.contain.appropriate.information.on.safety.implications..For.example,.operat-
ing.procedures.should.address.operating.parameters.and.contain.operating.instruc-
tions.about.pressure.limits,.temperature.ranges,.low.rates,.what.to.do.when.an.upset.
condition. occurs,. what. alarms. and. instruments. are. pertinent. if. an. upset. condition.
occurs,. and. other. subjects. (e.g.,. operating. instructions. to. drive. a. powered. vehicle.
properly. during. start-up. or. shutdown. involve. unique. processes).. In. some. cases,.
different. parameters. from. those. of. normal. operation. are. required.. These. operat-
ing.instructions.must.clearly.indicate.the.distinctions.between.normal.and.deviant.
operations,. such. as. instructions. and. parameters. on. the. appropriate. allowances. for.
driving.while.fully.loaded.
Operating.procedures.and.instructions.are.important.for.training.operating.per-
sonnel..Operating.procedures.are.the.standard.operating.procedures.(SOPs).for.oper-
ations..Operators.and.operating.staff,.in.general,.need.to.have.a.full.understanding.
of.operating.procedures..If.workers.are.not.luent.in.English,.then.procedures.and.
