Management of Change (MOC)

In short: Management of Change (MOC) is the formal review a change to equipment, chemicals, procedures, or organization must pass before it goes live: hazard review, approval, and a pre-startup check. It exists because most process incidents trace back to an unreviewed change.

MOC is one of the 14 PSM elements and arguably the one that earns its keep most often: replacement-in-kind is exempt, but anything that changes the process, a new pump model, a different cleaning chemical, a revised procedure, must be reviewed for the hazards it introduces before startup. The classic failure is the informal change that seemed too small to review. Spirit Sight carries every change through hazard review, approval sign-off, and pre-startup safety review, with findings feeding the corrective-action queue.

What triggers an MOC?

Any change to process chemicals, technology, equipment, or procedures that is not a replacement in kind: a different pump, a new supplier's caustic at a different concentration, a revised transfer procedure, a temporary bypass. The review asks what hazards the change introduces and what must be updated, procedures, training, drawings, before startup.

What is a pre-startup safety review?

The PSSR is the final gate: before the changed or new process runs, someone confirms construction matches design, procedures and training are updated, and the MOC's action items are complete. It is the step that catches the gap between what was approved and what was built.

Tracking this in a spreadsheet? Spirit Sight records it where it happens and builds inventory, compliance, and the books from the same entry. See it on a demo.

Related

• Process safety management software
• PSM
• CAPA