HAZOP

Introduction

Hazop (Hazard and Operability Study) is a structured and systematic examination of a planned or existing process or operation in order to identify and evaluate problems that may represent risks to personnel, the environment or equipment, or prevent efficient operation

Application

Hazop is a qualitative technique based on guidewords and is carried out by a multi disciplinary team during a set of meetings. The Hazop team will generally be made up of operations, maintenance, engineering disciplines and safety personnel and will have the mandate to ensure the proposed design is safe to operate and that it will not impact process efficiencies

The Hazop uses guidewords and process parameter descriptors to develop causes of events that would be detrimental to people, the environment, the asset or the operational efficiency of the process being studied. The causes lead to an outcome, the consequence, and this should be viewed as the unmitigated outcome i.e. no safeguards available to protect the affected area. The safeguards are then added to prevent the Hazardous Event / inefficiency from occurring and an assessment made as to whether they are sufficient or whether more safeguards are required or the reliability of the existing safeguards needs to be improved. Where more safeguards are required or integrity / reliability requirements have been highlighted then actions are raised against members of the Hazop team.

Dependent on the clients Hazop procedure frequency of causes, risk graphs detailing consequences may or may not be used to further prioritise actions / outcomes of the study

Services

ProSalus has assisted a number of our clients in carrying out Hazops using either their software or using our preferred software Hazop Manager (© Lihou Technical & Software Services)