Management of change
A systematic process for reviewing and authorising changes to equipment, processes, materials, procedures, or personnel in high-hazard environments before those changes are made, to prevent new hazards being introduced.
Also known as
By jurisdiction
UK HSE
“management of change”Close equivalentCOMAH 2015 requires operators to maintain safety management systems that include procedures for managing changes to processes and equipment. HSE guidance on major hazards endorses MOC as a key element of major hazard safety management. The specific regulatory requirement derives from COMAH rather than a named MOC regulation.
Irish HSA
“management of change”Close equivalentThe Irish COMAH Regulations 2015 (SI 2015/209) require safety management systems at upper-tier establishments to include procedures for the management of change. The concept is equivalent to the US MOC requirement under PSM.
US OSHA
“management of change”MOCExact equivalentOSHA 29 CFR 1910.119(l) requires employers covered by the PSM standard to establish and implement written procedures to manage changes to process chemicals, technology, equipment, and procedures. A change must be reviewed for safety and health impacts before it is implemented. Employees must be informed and trained on any changes that affect their tasks.
Practitioner note: Temporary changes need the same review as permanent ones. Many major accidents trace back to a modification nobody treated as a change.