HAZOP Study

Summary

Understand the technique, application and limitations of the HAZOP study methodology, one of the most commonly used hazard identification methods.

This course provides the understanding required to be an effective member of the HAZOP team, including the work that the facilitator must do as part of the HAZOP study. The whole technique is covered, from planning and recording, how the workshop is structured, through to reporting the outputs. Students will have the opportunity to practise the technique.

A HAZOP study is a systematic method for identifying hazards in a process, conducted in a workshop environment attended by a multi-disciplinary team.

A HAZOP utilises a checklist based on parameters, and the result of any deviations to those parameters, in order to identify hazards within the process and assess how they are managed.

The process is broken down into sections (or ‘Nodes’), and every deviation to the parameters is considered for each equipment item or step in that section in order to determine what could go wrong.

HAZOP’s meticulous approach is commonly used within the oil & gas, chemical and nuclear industries, but the technique can be applied to any appropriate industry or process.

This course does not provide detailed HAZOP facilitator training but does cover the skills needed and the work that the facilitator must do as part of the HAZOP Study. Students will have the opportunity to practise the technique.

Who should attend?

• Project Managers
• Operations Managers
• Process Engineers
• Operators
• HSE advisors
• Risk management practitioners

How will I benefit?

After the course you will be able to:

• Analyse how the HAZOP technique can be applied at the different stages of a project’s lifecycle such as FEED, detailed design, revalidation and decommissioning

• Prepare for a HAZOP workshop, determine the skills and actions necessary to lead a HAZOP and how to generate a HAZOP report

• Critically review the HAZOP technique and the inputs and outputs of a HAZOP study

Key topics

• Introduction to risk assessment
• Basic engineering terminology
• Process safety incidents – lessons learned ·  HAZOP: what, when, how, guidewords and   parameters, noding, teams, roles and responsibilities
• Recording methods, software, reporting and close-out
• Overview of the LOPA technique
• Major HAZOP studies, minor modification studies
• Common failings in HAZOPs, limitations of HAZOPs
• Leading HAZOP teams
• Other forms of HAZOP: procedures, batch operations