HAZOP Studies and Facilitators

HAZOP studies are so important in both our project life cycle and the safe performance of our asset. Without systematic identification of hazards we cannot assess their consequences, safeguards and ultimately the risk they pose to our business. If a hazard is not identified it does not mean it doesn't pose a risk. In fact it is likely to be under protected and therefore may have a higher likelihood than other hazards at your facility. The types of hazards identified in HAZOP may be revealed on first start up however in most cases they will remain present in your facility for decades before the scenario arises which causes the hazard to be uncontrolled. At this point you find you're under protected. The types of incidents which can be prevented may actually make or break your operation. They have the potential for high severity consequences.?

So HAZOP is important but the quality of the HAZOP is even more important. A bad quality HAZOP provides a false sense of security and can direct resources in the wrong places in your process safety management process. So what impacts the quality of your HAZOP?

• Preparation for the session
• Quality of process safety information?
• The team member competence?
• The team member participation?
• Quality of recording
• Quality of recommendations (attend this SaRS webinar for more tips on this point)
• Recommendation closure

The common element in 6 of the above 7 items is the HAZOP facilitator. They complete the preparation, are responsible for managing competence, attendance and participation. They also are responsible for recording. Therefore if you don't get anything else right getting your facilitator right would by far get your best possible result.

However, any of you who have commissioned a HAZOP study know that getting a facilitator who complements your team and delivers good quality workshop with a good report is a lot easier said than done. So what can you do to get this right?

There are three things I recommend.?

1. Educate yourself on all aspects of HAZOP?
2. Clearly communicate your requirements to the facilitator when hiring
3. Audit the HAZOP to drive improvement- audit against the requirements?

Overall you are becoming an intelligent buyer and in doing so you're improving not only the quality of your HAZOPs but also those of many others.?

Visit my website for some free tools to help you start changing you HAZOP performance today.

Disclaimer: My articles are based on my engineering experience in two major operators over 11 years and consulting thereafter. They do not reflect the processes of either and are not endorsed by either nor the Safety and Reliability Society. If you find an error in the text please feel free to correct me as I too am prone to human error (although I like to think at a lower than average frequency). The intent of these articles are to educate. From beginners to experienced engineers. I hope that through the article or reference material you all get something from it. If you find the content too basic or too advanced again get in touch. Any improvement suggestions welcome.