HAZOP is a systematic and formal examination of the process and design intentions of new or existing facilities conducted by a multi-disciplinary team, in order to assess the risks associated with incorrect operations or equipment failure and the resulting effects on the installation as a whole.

The objective of HAZOP is to identify possible deviations from the intended operating parameters of process and utility systems, and the hazards or operability problems resulting from such deviations.

HAZOP studies are used to analyse the design of operational facilities (new or modifications to existing asset) to verify the safety, operability, and standards compliance aspects of the design. A HAZOP is not a Design Review.

The overall purpose of a HAZOP study is to support the demonstration that the risk of an accidental failure associated with the operation of the installation is reduced to an acceptable level by:

• checking the design and assessing whether any deviations that may occur, due to a malfunction or incorrect operation, causes a hazard to the workers or to the public, asset damage, impacts on the environment or on the organization;

• checking whether the precautions and protections (barriers/safeguards) provided by the project are sufficient to prevent the hazard or mitigate the severity of potential consequences to an acceptable level;

• identifying and implementing additional safeguards to manage any hazards not yet sufficiently mitigated;

• ensuring the facility can be safely started-up, operated, maintained and shutdown.

Using SGL to support your HAZOP requirements will give you the assurance that the Team has the independence to recommend design changes where necessary.

Tailored to your requirements, we can provide independent co-ordination, facilitation, scribe and process safety engineer representation to ensure a robust and systemic identification and evaluation of potential hazards and operability issues.