A Process Engineer's Side Project: Building a Free PSM Applicability Tool

The Seed of an Idea

Back in 2018, I sat in a compliance meeting watching talented engineers and safety professionals debate whether a facility fell under OSHA's Process Safety Management regulations. Despite everyone's expertise, the determination process was frustratingly unclear. As a process engineer in oil and gas, I'd seen this scenario play out countless times - smart people spending hours interpreting regulatory language instead of focusing on actual safety improvements.

That experience planted a seed, though it would take years to germinate. As I continued my journey in process safety, the question of PSM applicability kept surfacing. Colleagues, clients, and even seasoned professionals would ask, "How do I know if my facility is governed by PSM?" The answer was rarely straightforward.

When I eventually started my consulting company, this knowledge gap became even more apparent. Full PSM applicability studies were time-intensive, and hiring consultants for this relatively straightforward determination seemed like unnecessary overhead for many facilities.

Learning Along the Way

My path from that meeting room to building a digital solution wasn't direct. Over the years, I've been fortunate to learn from exceptional mentors. Kelly Springer (formerly Kelly Velasquez) was my first guide in Process Safety Management, helping me understand not just the regulatory requirements but their practical application. Later, Steve Bergay deepened my knowledge across PSM, EHS, RMP, and other compliance frameworks.

A particularly valuable contribution came from Terra Wright, a knowledgeable PSM coordinator I worked with. She had developed an excellent PSM applicability questionnaire that gave me a solid foundation to build upon.

On the technical side, I found guidance in online communities. Sonny Sangha (Papa React) became my virtual mentor through his YouTube tutorials on modern web development. His clear explanations of Next.js, authentication systems, and database integration were exactly what I needed as someone crossing over from engineering to development.

Each of these influences contributed pieces to the puzzle, preparing me for the moment when I decided to actually build something.

A Weekend Project with Purpose

The actual development of the PSM Applicability tool was surprisingly quick - just a couple of days of focused work. But those days were built on years of accumulated knowledge in both process safety and web development skills I'd been picking up along the way.

I chose a modern tech stack: Next.js for the frontend framework, Clerk for authentication, Convex for the backend database, Vercel for deployment, and styled everything with Shadcn components and Tailwind CSS. For someone who primarily identifies as a process engineer, working with these technologies was both challenging and refreshing.

The tool itself is simple by design - it walks users through a series of straightforward questions about their facility and operations, using branching logic that mirrors the decision-making process of an experienced PSM consultant. Based on the responses, it provides a clear determination of whether the facility falls under PSM regulations, along with an explanation of which factors triggered applicability.

There's nothing revolutionary about the concept - it's essentially a digital decision tree. But that's exactly what makes it valuable. It takes a complex determination process and makes it accessible, consistent, and free.

Why It Matters

This tool isn't my magnum opus. It's not going to transform the industry overnight. It's simply a free resource that makes one specific aspect of regulatory compliance easier.

But for small facilities without dedicated EHS resources, having a straightforward way to determine PSM applicability could be the difference between implementing appropriate safety programs and missing critical protections. For consulting firms, it can streamline initial assessments and free up expertise for more complex challenges. For regulators, increased clarity around applicability could mean better compliance rates overall.

That's the real purpose behind this project - removing a small but persistent friction point in the safety ecosystem. If the tool helps even a handful of facilities correctly determine their regulatory status and implement appropriate programs, it will have been worth the weekend of coding.

Looking Forward

While this PSM Applicability tool is a modest contribution, it represents something more significant to me personally - a step in my journey toward creating more comprehensive safety technology solutions. Each tool I build teaches me new skills and prepares me for the next challenge.

I'm already planning additional tools that will address other friction points in Process Safety Management: collaborative platforms for remote teams conducting PHAs and audits, action item tracking systems, and smarter ways to manage the mountain of documentation that PSM requires.

The PSM Applicability tool is just one small bridge between regulatory complexity and practical implementation. It's a free gift to the industry that I hope will make someone's job a little easier and some workplaces a little safer.

If you manage a facility that handles hazardous chemicals or if you're responsible for safety compliance, I invite you to try the tool at psmapplicability.patronusenergy.com. It takes just a few minutes to complete an assessment and might save you hours of research or consultation.

And if you're wrestling with your own professional challenges, perhaps there's a lesson here: sometimes the most valuable innovations aren't revolutionary breakthroughs but simple tools that remove persistent friction points. What small but meaningful bridge are you uniquely positioned to build?