Why the Shift Is Happening
Recent incidents across North America and abroad have demonstrated that even well-run utilities can experience serious events when process modifications are not adequately reviewed.
• In a recent case, a hydrogen-sulfide gas leak at a sewer facility in Trinity County, Texas, killed three workers performing maintenance repairs. The incident occurred in August 2025 and underscored the hazards of confined-space and gas system work when process changes are not properly controlled. [1]
• A separate chemical feed explosion at a water treatment plant in Noblesville, Indiana, in August 2025 injured several personnel during a transfer operation between a tanker truck and the facility. Early reports suggest the event was linked to an incompatible chemical transfer. [2]
These examples reinforce the importance of evaluating any change to a PSM-covered process through a MOC process to maintain both safety and reliability.
What Progressive Utilities Are Doing Differently
Leading municipal utilities are managed by professionals committed to safe, reliable, and efficient operations. They recognize that strong process safety practices are an integral part of that commitment.
By looking to the chemical process sector, these professionals see a proven model for managing change, controlling hazards, and protecting both workers and the community. The AIChE Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) provides well-established guidelines for Risk-Based Process Safety (RBPS), which many municipal utilities are now adapting to their own environments.
A Comprehensive MOC Lifecycle
Where hazardous processes or chemicals in hazardous quantities exist, these utilities are implementing a structured Management of Change procedure to ensure alterations to the process are properly defined, evaluated, and verified before returning to service. A comprehensive MOC process typically includes the following phases:
Initiation → Scoping → Change Design → Impact Analysis → Approvals → Implementation → PSSR (Pre-Startup Safety Review) → Close-Out
Each phase provides a deliberate checkpoint:
- Initiation – capture the reason for change and its objectives.
- Scoping – identify the affected systems, equipment, and personnel.
- Change Design – document the technical and engineering details.
- Impact Analysis – assess effects on safety, environment, and operations.
- Approvals – ensure cross-disciplinary review and accountability.
- Implementation – execute under controlled, authorized conditions.
- PSSR – verify readiness before re-introducing energy or chemicals.
- Close-Out – confirm that procedures, drawings, and training are current.
The MOC process provides clarity, traceability, and assurance.
Why It Matters
When the MOC process is integrated into daily operations, it creates a framework for continuous reliability improvement. Utilities adopting PSM software such as FACILEX® MOC report measurable benefits:
- Improved coordination between engineering, maintenance, and operations.
- Clear visibility of pending and completed changes across the organization.
- Faster, more confident approvals with full audit trails.
- Strengthened compliance with internal and external safety standards.
- Fewer unplanned outages and reduced operational risk.
These are the hallmarks of a mature, self-learning organization—one that treats safety and reliability as two sides of the same coin.
A New Standard of Leadership
The emergence of Process Safety Management within municipal utilities marks a major step forward in public infrastructure governance. It shows that leadership within these organizations are committing to operational excellence, environmental responsibility, and community trust.
Footnotes
[1] Houston Chronicle. Three workers die in Trinity County after hydrogen sulfide leak at sewer facility (Aug 2025). https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/trending/article/trinity-sewer-facility-leak-21019400.php
[2] Newsweek. Chemical Explosion at Noblesville Water Treatment Plant Injures Workers (Aug 2025). https://www.newsweek.com/noblesville-indiana-chemical-explosion-water-plant-2110430
