PS-RTA method for safety responsibility management: An approach to promote competency of employees to fulfill safety responsibility

Abstract

The effective implementation of workplace safety responsibilities constitutes the foundation for accident prevention and sustainable enterprise operations. This study proposes a closed-loop management methodology named the PS-RTA method (Position-Specific Responsibility-Training-Assessment), developed from the perspective of enhancing safety responsibility competency through a logical chain of "responsibility assignment - competency development - performance evaluation." At the responsibility assignment level, the methodology introduces a position-specific safety responsibility checklist development approach that accounts for the interdependencies among safety responsibility and collaborative dependencies among responsible groups. For competency development, it integrates competency requirement analysis with training models to establish position-specific safety responsibility competency enhancement program. Regarding performance evaluation, the methodology combines position-specific assessment indicators with dynamic weighting mechanisms to formulate scientifically grounded safety responsibility competency evaluation method. Furthermore, the study presents a three-year implementation case involving China's largest oil and gas pipeline network operator, demonstrating how the PS-RTA methodology successfully established a "One position, one list. One position, one training. One position, one assessment" safety management model. The PS-RTA method effectively resolves longstanding challenges in ambiguous responsibility delineation and insufficient control mechanisms, providing enterprises with a systematic reference for strengthening safety governance through structured responsibility clarification, competency cultivation, and performance monitoring.