HAZOP Overview

IMS SIS can be used to document Hazard & Operability (HAZOP) Studies. A HAZOP is a structured and systematic examination of a complex planned (or existing) process (or operation) to identify and evaluate possible risks to the People, Assets, Community, and Environment.

The objective of a HAZOP is to review the design, with an intent to identify design and engineering issues that may otherwise not have been found. The technique is based on breaking the overall complex design of the process into several simpler sections, called Nodes, which are then individually reviewed. The review should be carried out by an experienced multi-disciplinary team, during a series of meetings.

For each Node, the HAZOP team uses a list of standardized guidewords and process parameters to identify potential Deviations from the design intent. For each Deviation, the team identifies feasible Causes and likely Consequences. They then decide (with confirmation by subsequent Risk Analyses) whether the Existing safeguards are sufficient, or Recommend if an additional safeguard is necessary to reduce the risks to an acceptable level. In this case a new Layer of Protection Analysis (LOPA) can be initiated.