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Management of change form

A management of change (MOC) form is the record a plant uses to propose, review, approve and close out a change to a process, machine, material or method before it goes live. It finds the hazards and knock-on effects while the change is still on paper. This form is for manufacturing changes, not IT (information technology) change management: a new valve, a different raw material, a higher line speed, a revised cleaning method or a temporary bypass. It runs in eight parts: the request, the technical reason, a hazard review with 25 checks, the documents to update, approvals, a pre-startup review, training, and close-out. For processes covered by OSHA's Process Safety Management standard, 29 CFR 1910.119, paragraph (l) is the management of change element and paragraph (i) the pre-startup safety review. The form follows their order and names them, but it is not a PSM program and does not decide what PSM requires of your plant. LeanSuite does not run PSM or MOC. The Excel file is an MOC register that counts days open and flags temporary changes past their end date.

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Page 1 of the management of change formFields for the MOC number, area and requester, tick boxes for the type of change and permanent or temporary, and boxes for what will change and the technical reason.
Change requestReplacement in kind screenTechnical basis25-check hazard reviewDocuments to updateApprovalsPre-startup reviewTrainingClose-outMOC register in Excel
Filled-in Management of change form: an automatic valve on a resin transfer line
The same sheet filled in with the worked example (page 4 of the PDF, illustrative numbers). Open full size (opens the picture in a new tab)

When to use it

When to use a management of change form

  • Before any change to raw materials or process chemicals, equipment, technology, operating conditions, procedures or the building that is not a replacement in kind.
  • For a temporary change, such as a bypass, a hired-in pump or a trial material, with an end date.
  • For an emergency change, written up and reviewed straight after it is made.
  • When a change on one line touches safety, the environment, product quality and the customer at once, and no one person can see all of it.
  • Not for shift to shift changes of people, machines, material or method at a station: the 4M change management sheet is for those.

How to fill it in

  1. 1

    Raise the request

    Say exactly what will change, where, why, whether it is permanent or temporary, and the end date of a temporary change. Screen out replacements in kind: the same specification needs no MOC.

  2. 2

    Write the technical basis

    Give the reason for the change and the data behind it: drawings, ratings, supplier data or trial results.

  3. 3

    Run the hazard review

    Bring operations, maintenance, EHS and quality together and go through the 25 checks. Mark each Yes, No or N/A, and give every effect found an action, an owner and a date.

  4. 4

    List the documents and get approval

    Tick every document the change touches. The approvers named on the form sign before any work starts.

  5. 5

    Pre-startup review and training

    Before start-up, confirm it was built as approved, procedures are in place, hazard review actions are closed and everyone who runs or maintains it is trained.

  6. 6

    Close out

    After start-up, check the change works, update and issue every document on the list, and remove or approve as permanent a temporary change by its end date.

Which change record

Management of change vs the other change records in a plant

Four records get called change management. They cover different changes, and a plant usually needs more than one.

  • Management of change (MOC) form

    What changes
    A planned change to a process, machine, material, method or the building
    Who reviews it
    Operations, maintenance, EHS and quality, then named approvers
    Use it when
    Before the change is made, so hazards and knock-on effects are found on paper
  • 4M change management sheet

    What changes
    A change of man, machine, material or method at one station during the shift
    Who reviews it
    The team leader and quality at the line
    Use it when
    When a change point happens, to add extra checks on the first parts after it
  • Engineering change request (ECR)

    What changes
    A product design, drawing or specification
    Who reviews it
    Design engineering, quality and often the customer
    Use it when
    When the part or its specification changes, not only how it is made
  • IT change management

    What changes
    Software, servers, networks and IT services
    Who reviews it
    An IT change advisory board
    Use it when
    When a system or service changes; most change management plan templates online are this kind

The review

The 25 checks in the management of change review

Five groups, in the order the change moves through them. On the form each check is Yes, No or N/A, and every effect found gets an action, an owner and a date before approval.

Is it a change?

Screen every request first

  1. 1The request says exactly what will be different, and on which line, machine or process
  2. 2It is not a replacement in kind, meaning a part or material that meets the same design specification
  3. 3It is marked permanent or temporary, and a temporary change has an end date
  4. 4If it had to be made in an emergency, it is reviewed straight afterwards

Technical basis and hazards

Answered before any work starts

  1. 5The technical reason for the change is written down with the data behind it
  2. 6A hazard review was done with operations, maintenance, EHS and quality in the room
  3. 7Effects on safety and health are assessed: exposure, stored energy, ergonomics and fire
  4. 8Effects on the environment, permits and emissions are assessed
  5. 9Effects on product quality, the customer and any approved process are assessed
  6. 10Lockout points, guards, interlocks and alarms affected by the change are listed
  7. 11Materials, ratings and limits were checked for the new operating conditions

Documents to update

Every document the change touches

  1. 12Drawings, piping and instrument diagrams or layouts
  2. 13Operating procedures, work instructions and setup sheets
  3. 14Maintenance procedures, PM tasks and spare parts
  4. 15PFMEA, control plan or process sheet
  5. 16Safety data sheets, labels and the chemical inventory
  6. 17Training material and the skills matrix

Before start-up

The pre-startup review

  1. 18The change was built or installed as approved
  2. 19Safety, operating, maintenance and emergency procedures for it are in place
  3. 20Actions from the hazard review are closed, or have an approved plan and date
  4. 21Everyone who runs or maintains the changed process was trained before start-up
  5. 22The approvers signed before the work started

After start-up and close-out

Closing the loop

  1. 23The change was checked in use and works as intended
  2. 24A temporary change was removed, or approved as permanent, by its end date
  3. 25Every document on the list was updated and issued

A filled-in example

Illustrative, not a benchmark

An example (illustrative): a made-up adhesives blending plant that is not covered by PSM and uses the same steps by choice. The change: replace the manual valve on the resin transfer line to mix tank 2 with an automatic valve that closes on the tank's high level switch. The same example is page 4 of the PDF and the Example sheet of the Excel file.

The example change, request to close-out

  1. Day 0, 1 SeptRequestAutomatic valve on the resin line to mix tank 2.
  2. Day 6Hazard review25 checks; a new lockout point and a PM task found.
  3. Day 9ApprovedBy 4 managers.
  4. Day 20 to 21Pre-startup review, start-up14 of 16 trained first.
  5. Day 35Close-out5 documents issued, after two weeks of running.
  • No effect: 18 review checks
  • Effect, with an action: 6 review checks
  • N/A: 1 review check

Requested 1 Sept, hazard review day 6, approved day 9, pre-startup review day 20, start-up day 21, closed day 35. Review checks: 18 no effect, 6 with an effect and an action, 1 not applicable.

Illustrative. 14 of 16 operators (87.5%) were trained before start-up; the other 2 were kept off the task until trained.
  • Requested on 1 September, hazard review on 7 September, approved by 4 managers on 10 September: 9 days.
  • The 25 review checks: 18 no effect, 6 with an effect and an action, 1 N/A. The effects included a new lockout point on the valve's air supply and a level switch that now needs a PM task.
  • 5 documents updated: the piping and instrument diagram, the transfer procedure, the lockout procedure, the PM task and the training record.
  • Pre-startup review on 21 September. 14 of 16 operators (87.5%) were trained before start-up; the 2 on leave were trained before their first shift back and kept off the task until then.
  • Start-up on 22 September, 21 days after the request. Close-out on 6 October, 35 days after the request, once the valve had run for two weeks and every document was issued.

Nothing in the example needed PSM. The review was worth it because the new lockout point and the PM task were found before start-up rather than after it.

Common mistakes

  • Calling every change a replacement in kind

    A replacement in kind meets the same design specification. A different valve type, a new supplier's resin or a higher setpoint is a change, even if it does the same job.

  • Approving before the hazard review

    Signatures on a request nobody has reviewed only record who agreed to the risk. Review first, approve second.

  • Temporary changes that stay

    A bypass or a trial without an end date becomes permanent without a review. Give it a date and check the register every week.

  • Forgetting the documents

    The change is not finished when it runs. If the procedure, the drawing or the PM task still shows the old way, the next person works from the wrong information.

  • Training after start-up

    People who run or maintain the changed process need to know before it starts, including contractors and the shifts that were not there on the day.

Download the template

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Run this template in LeanSuite

LeanSuite runs the daily routines of a chemical manufacturing plant in one place. It covers operator rounds, batch and filling-line losses, off-spec batches, near misses, lockout and controlled procedures. It works beside your process safety management program and control systems, and it does not run PSM, management of change or permits.

See it in a 45-minute demo

FAQ

Management of change form: common questions

  1. It is the way a plant reviews and approves a change to a process, machine, material or method before making it, so hazards and knock-on effects on safety, quality and the environment are found first. Each change gets a request, a technical reason, a hazard review, approvals, a check before start-up, training and a close-out.

  2. For processes covered by the Process Safety Management standard, 29 CFR 1910.119(l) calls for written procedures to manage changes, other than replacements in kind, to process chemicals, technology, equipment, procedures and facilities. Before a change they must address its technical basis, its effect on safety and health, changes to operating procedures, the time needed and who authorizes it. Affected employees are informed and trained before start-up, and process safety information and procedures are updated. Read the standard for your own process.

  3. IT change management controls changes to software, servers and IT services. A management of change form in a plant controls changes to the physical process, such as equipment, materials, chemistry, operating conditions and procedures, where the risk is an injury, a release or bad product.

  4. It is the check made before a new or changed process starts: built as designed, procedures in place, hazard review actions resolved and people trained. Under PSM, 29 CFR 1910.119(i) requires one for new facilities and for modified facilities when the change is big enough to change the process safety information.

  5. No. LeanSuite does not run PSM or MOC, and this is a free form for paper or Excel. LeanSuite runs the daily routines around them: operator rounds and equipment checks, near-miss reports, audits with photo evidence, lockout steps and corrective actions tracked to closure.

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