What is HAZOP?
HAZOP stands for Hazard and Operability Study and is a system of identifying potential hazards and operational issues within workplaces and functional procedures.
The process is a risk assessment tool that examines the risk of failures if processes are deviated from and the impact they could have on personnel, your equipment, or the work environment.
HAZOP Process
There are two main components of risk when performing a HAZOP study;
- Probability – how likely is this event to occur
- Consequence – what is the outcome if this risk becomes reality
The kinds of consequences relating to HAZOP can include fatalities, injuries, equipment repair/replacement costs, or damage to brand or business reputation.
Completing HAZOP requires shared perspectives to be effective – a multidisciplinary collaboration comes together with a facilitator at the head to guide the team and reach decisions within a set time frame.
HAZOP Study
F.E.S (Ex) provides expert facilitators to work with your teams and create a HAZOP study that is both efficient and effective.
The HAZOP should be simple enough for everyone to comprehend but detailed enough to cover all possible risks.
- Identify risk by examining factors that could cause a hazardous event – think of specific process deviations
- Identify the consequences of the hazardous event, should it occur, and assign a severity level
- Identify the probability of the hazardous event occurring
- Identify the level of risk based on severity and probability if no rectification steps are taken
- Identify what steps need to be taken to reduce the risk of a hazardous event, or if the risk is deemed acceptable
- Implement recommended steps
In instances where differing opinions cannot agree on a course of action, it will be the decision of the facilitator to ensure a decision is made one way or another.
Risk Matrix
HAZOP risk matrices allow for a uniform approach to risk management and displays it in a visual way that is easy to understand.
Specifically, the use of Guidewords is essential when completing a HAZOP Study as they are universally used across all disciplines. These are used to identify potential deviations from standard procedures.
The basic guide words are No, more, less, as well as, part of, reverse, and other than, and there are some used for specific industries, such as Electrical.
By using widely accepted language and visual representation of risks, a HAZOP Matrix provides a clear focus for the prioritisation and management of resources.
Why Choose F.E.S (Ex)?
Completing a HAZOP is not straightforward as it requires input from multiple different people, all of whom have specific insights within their respective fields.
Utilising experts who can not only understand and analyse information across different disciplines, but also identify the key risk factors across all processes is vital for an effective HAZOP Study.
Experts at F.E.S. (EX) apply the Hazard and Operability (HAZOP) study as the first step in a functional safety management process.
We have extensive experience in leading HAZOP studies for several types of hazardous processes;
- Flammables (e.g. fuel tank farms, aero engine test beds and engine test benches)
- Explosives (e.g. applied in aeroengine fan-blade containment tests ‘’blade off testing’)Corrosives (e.g. chemical etching process of titanium alloy aeroengine blades)
- Gases under pressure (e.g. electrolyser plants, hydrogen refuelling stations)
- Acute toxic substances (e.g. hydrofluoric acid, nitric acid)
- Reactive and incompatible substances (e.g. acrylic esters)
- Oxidisers
- Steam
- Combustible dusts (e.g. fibre dust, aluminium dust)
- Inert gases