PLANT COMMAND AND CONTROL
PLANT SENTINEL™
Plant Manager/Incident Commander: Initial Response. For everyone who leads, belongs to or supports an onshore Incident Management Team.
Poseidon Training in-house programme. It is not an OPITO product, it is not OPITO-approved and it carries no external accreditation.
Overview
Plant Sentinel™ gives personnel who are in charge of, belong to or support an Incident Management Team the knowledge, practical skills and human performance awareness to manage a major emergency on an onshore asset. It also gives initial emergency management training to those working towards the Plant Manager/Incident Commander role. Gaps are found before teaching starts.
It covers chemical and petrochemical plants, refineries, gas processing and gas bottling plants, terminals and tanker loading facilities, storage depots, power stations and industrial estates.
How it works
- 1.Diagnostic. A pre-course question bank covers all ten outcomes. The results show the group's knowledge gaps and shape the teaching and the scenarios.
- 2.Theory. Outcomes 1 to 4 in four modules, concentrating on the gaps. Each module ends with a multiple-choice test, pass mark 75%.
- 3.Practice scenarios. Up to two practice scenarios aimed at the group's gaps. Every learner completes at least one structured Time Out before appraisal starts.
- 4.Appraisal. Observed scenarios covering Outcomes 5 to 10, with a debrief and individual feedback after each one. Each learner receives a Development Record.
What the course covers
Theory:
- 1.Major emergency types and Emergency Command Centre responsibilities
- 2.The Emergency Command Centre: layout, equipment and information management
- 3.Being ready: pre-planning and state of readiness
- 4.Stress, pressure and human performance
In the simulator:
- 5.Reviewing and assessing emergency information
- 6.Establishing priorities, taking action and implementing the emergency plan
- 7.Communicating during a major emergency
- 8.Monitoring resources and keeping control
- 9.Delegating and managing team performance
- 10.Managing yourself and your team under stress
In Plant Sentinel, the Emergency Manager is the Plant Manager/Incident Commander and the team is the Incident Management Team.
Emergencies covered
Scenarios come from the Poseidon onshore library. They include:
- fire and explosion, including vapour cloud explosion, storage tank fire, process unit fire and BLEVE risk;
- toxic or flammable gas release, including ammonia, chlorine, H₂S and LPG;
- loss of containment and spills to land, drains and watercourses;
- tanker and cylinder incidents;
- injured personnel, multiple casualties, confined space rescue and missing personnel;
- loss of communications, power, evacuation routes or the control room;
- road traffic incidents, security threats and extreme weather;
- incidents on neighbouring plants, domino effects across an industrial estate, and effects on the surrounding community.
How it is assessed
Each learner completes at least two appraised scenarios as Plant Manager/Incident Commander, each a different emergency type, including at least one Type A and one Type B. Across the scenarios they cover threats to life, to the environment, to plant and property, and effects on the community around the site. Appraisal is by observation and, where appropriate, questioning.
The appraisal finds gaps; it is not pass or fail. The certificate is issued when all four module tests are passed and the required scenarios are completed and appraised. The Development Record lists the gaps at outcome level for follow-up in the workplace.
How Poseidon runs these programmes
Build strong fundamentals, find each person's gaps, target them, then test performance under realistic pressure.
Every programme uses the Poseidon Emergency Simulator. Emergencies are classed as Type A (readily controllable if managed appropriately), Type B (could escalate if not brought under control) and Type C (leads to full evacuation, beyond control).
Time Out is taught and used throughout: a structured pause to brief the team, make the PA announcement and call the duty manager. The memory aid is the Three T's: Time Out, Tannoy, Town.
Human performance is not a separate subject. It is the lens applied to everything in the simulator: what good and poor practice looks and sounds like, used in every debrief.
How it is delivered
The standard and criteria are the same in every mode.
- Face to face: at the Poseidon Training Centre, at your site or on your asset.
- Remote, on your asset: your team is on the asset and the assessor is remote. Scenarios are injected through the Poseidon Emergency Simulator, and cameras are positioned so the assessor can fully observe the team, the information boards and the equipment in use. If full observation is not possible, the session does not go ahead.
- Fully remote: every participant joins on a PC through the Poseidon Emergency Simulator.
For remote delivery, identity is checked on camera before the session starts, and Poseidon Training confirms the technical requirements at booking and tests them before the session.
Who delivers it
A Lead Appraiser with emergency management experience in oil and gas or a comparable high-consequence industry, a recognised emergency management qualification and a current assessor award. The scenarios need at least three staff: the Lead Appraiser, a person running the exercise and an assistant.
Upcoming Plant Sentinel dates
Plant Sentinel dates are being scheduled.
We are finalising the next public course dates. Register your interest and we will contact you as soon as dates are released.
Arranging training for an organisation? Group and private delivery can be discussed at any time.
Yes. Plant Sentinel is designed for them as well as for current Incident Management Team members.
Not for the scenarios. The appraisal finds gaps and records them in your Development Record. The four module tests have a pass mark of 75%; if you score below it, you review the module with the instructor and take a different test.
