Integrated Consultants for Health & Safety LLC
Integrated Consultants for Health & Safety LLC
A Hazard and Operability (HAZOP) study is the industry-standard method for performing a detailed Process Hazard Analysis (PHA). It is a systematic and highly structured examination of a planned or existing process to identify and evaluate problems that may represent risks to personnel or equipment, or prevent efficient operation.
The HAZOP analysis is built on the fundamental premise that a hazard is not realised if the process always operates within its intended design parameters. The study, therefore, works by rigorously challenging the design to discover potential deviations.
Led by an experienced facilitator, a multidisciplinary team uses a series of structured "guidewords" (e.g., NO, MORE, LESS, REVERSE) applied to key process parameters (e.g., FLOW, PRESSURE, TEMPERATURE) to identify credible deviations from the design intent. For each deviation, the team analyzes its causes, consequences, existing safeguards, and recommends actions to mitigate unacceptable risks.
The HAZOP review aims to assess:
The potential for malfunction or mal-operation leading to impacts on personnel (safety), the environment, or assets.
The potential for deviations to cause impacts on process efficiency, product quality, or productivity.
A HAZOP is a detailed study that provides maximum value at specific points in a project's lifecycle:
The most common application, when Piping & Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs) are mature and available for a line-by-line review before construction begins.
Essential for any new plant, unit, or complex equipment package to ensure inherent safety and operability.
When significant modifications are made to an existing process, a HAZOP is critical to evaluate how the changes affect the system's safety.
For operating facilities, periodic HAZOP revalidations are a best practice to account for process aging, procedural drift, and to ensure safety barriers remain robust.
A HAZOP can be used to analyze process deviations that may have led to an incident.
At Integrated Consultants, our HAZOP studies are conducted with precision and rigor to ensure no stone is left unturned.
We define the study's scope and objectives and assist you in assembling the correct multidisciplinary team (Process, Instrumentation, Mechanical, Operations, etc.).
We gather and review all critical documentation, with a primary focus on the Piping & Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs). Other documents include Process Flow Diagrams (PFDs), Cause & Effect charts, and operating manuals.
The process shown on the P&IDs is broken down into manageable sections, or "nodes," to ensure a systematic and complete review.
Our certified HAZOP Chairman guides the team through the structured analysis, ensuring the discussion is focused, efficient, and thorough.
For each node, the design intent is established. The Chairman then systematically applies guidewords to process parameters to generate deviations (e.g., applying "NO" to "FLOW" creates the deviation "NO FLOW").
For every credible deviation, the team identifies:
Plausible reasons for the deviation to occur.
The potential safety, environmental, or operational outcomes.
Existing protective layers designed to prevent the cause or mitigate the consequences (e.g., alarms, relief valves, interlocks).
If existing safeguards are deemed insufficient, the team formulates specific, actionable recommendations to reduce the risk to an acceptable level (As Low As Reasonably Practicable - ALARP).
A dedicated technical Scribe records the entire workshop discussion in real-time using industry-standard software.
We deliver a detailed HAZOP report containing the study methodology, team members, marked-up P&IDs, and the complete HAZOP worksheets (logsheets).
The report includes a prioritized list of recommendations, which serves as a critical action-tracking register for your project team.
To systematically identify process hazards and operability issues in a design.
To thoroughly analyze the causes and consequences of deviations from the design intent.
To critically evaluate the adequacy of existing safeguards and protective systems.
To generate practical recommendations for design improvements or procedural changes to enhance safety and efficiency.
To provide essential input for advanced safety studies like Layer of Protection Analysis (LOPA) and Safety Integrity Level (SIL) Assessment.
To ensure compliance with national and international standards and regulations, including those from bodies like PESO (Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation) where applicable.
Our HAZOP Chairmen are highly skilled leaders with extensive experience across the chemical, petrochemical, and oil & gas industries in India and abroad.
We don't just facilitate; we understand the processes. Our engineers provide valuable technical insights during the workshop, ensuring a high-quality study.
We expertly manage workshop dynamics to ensure a thorough review is completed on schedule, respecting the valuable time of your team members.
Based in Kochi, we are familiar with the Indian regulatory landscape and can help ensure your design meets local compliance requirements.
Our reports are designed to be used. We provide a clear summary and a prioritized action list that can be directly integrated into your project management system.
A HAZID is a high-level review performed early in the design (before P&IDs are ready) to identify major hazards. A HAZOP is a much more detailed, line-by-line review of the P&IDs performed later in the design to identify specific process deviations that could lead to hazards or operability problems.
P&IDs (Piping & Instrumentation Diagrams) are detailed drawings that show the piping, equipment, and instrumentation of a process. They are the "roadmaps" for a HAZOP study, as they contain the necessary detail to analyze deviations in flow, pressure, temperature, and other parameters.
Yes. Modern collaboration tools allow for effective remote or hybrid HAZOP sessions. We have experience in facilitating both in-person and remote workshops, using screen sharing for P&ID review and specialized software for live scribing.
The recommendations form a critical action list. The client's project team is responsible for evaluating each recommendation, designing a solution, and tracking its implementation to closure. Our report provides the foundation for this tracking process.
