Integrated Consultants for Health & Safety LLC
Integrated Consultants for Health & Safety LLC
An Inherently Safer Design (ISD) Review is a disciplined, creative brainstorming exercise focused on fundamentally changing a process or plant design to make it less hazardous. Unlike traditional safety approaches that focus on adding protective systems to control hazards, ISD aims to eliminate or significantly reduce the hazards themselves.
It is the highest and most robust level in the hierarchy of process safety controls. The core philosophy is simple: what you don't have, can't leak, explode, or run away.
"What you don't have, can't leak, explode, or run away."
This review is particularly critical for high-hazard facilities, such as the hydrocarbon processing and chemical manufacturing plants common in India. The goal is to systematically challenge the design to manage, reduce, or eliminate risks to people, the environment, property, and business continuity.
An ISD review provides the most profound safety benefits when conducted at the earliest stages of a project's lifecycle (i.e., concept and feasibility), when fundamental design choices are still flexible. It is critical because it:
Eliminating a hazard is always more reliable than relying on engineered systems or procedures, which can fail.
An inherently safer plant often requires fewer complex safety systems, leading to lower capital investment (CAPEX) and reduced operational costs (OPEX) for maintenance, testing, and training.
Simpler, more forgiving processes are easier to operate and maintain, reducing the likelihood of human error.
It shows a profound ethical commitment to safety that is viewed favourably by regulators, insurers, and the public.
Our ISD review methodology is built upon five internationally recognized principles. We facilitate a structured workshop to explore opportunities under each pillar, aiming to achieve Hazard Elimination, Consequence Reduction, and Likelihood Reduction.
Drastically reduce the quantity of hazardous material present at any time.
Using an on-demand generator for a toxic chemical like phosgene instead of storing a large inventory in a tank.
Replace a hazardous substance with a less hazardous alternative.
Using a water-based solvent instead of a flammable hydrocarbon solvent for cleaning applications.
Use a hazardous material under less hazardous conditions (e.g., lower pressure, lower temperature, or in a dilute form).
Storing liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in a refrigerated state at near-atmospheric pressure instead of under high pressure at ambient temperature.
Design the facility and equipment to minimize the consequences of any release of hazardous material or energy.
Constructing blast-resistant control rooms and ensuring adequate separation distance between critical units.
Design equipment and processes to be clear, logical, and straightforward, eliminating opportunities for error and making incorrect operations difficult.
Using self-draining piping to prevent corrosion or using connectors that cannot be hooked up incorrectly.
To systematically challenge the core design basis to identify and evaluate ISD opportunities.
To reduce the plant's dependence on active engineered safeguards (e.g., Safety Instrumented Systems) and procedural controls.
To minimize the inventory, and therefore the potential impact, of hazardous materials.
To create a simpler, more robust, and more "forgiving" plant design.
To provide a documented audit trail demonstrating that ISD principles were formally considered, a key expectation of modern process safety regulations.
An ISD review thrives on creativity. Our facilitators are skilled at fostering an environment of "what if" thinking to challenge assumptions and uncover innovative safety solutions.
Our consultants, based in Kochi and serving clients across India, have a fundamental understanding of chemical and hydrocarbon processes, enabling them to identify credible opportunities for substitution and intensification.
We understand that ISD is the first and most important step in the safety lifecycle. We can advise on how decisions made during the ISD review will positively impact subsequent studies like HAZOP and LOPA.
We balance the pursuit of ideal ISD solutions with the practical and economic realities of your project.
They have different philosophies. A HAZOP takes a given design and systematically analyzes it for potential deviations and hazards. An ISD Review fundamentally challenges the design itself, asking "Can we change the process or chemistry to eliminate this hazard entirely?" ISD happens earlier and influences the design, while HAZOP scrutinizes the resulting design.
While ISD has the most impact on new projects, its principles can be applied to modifications of existing plants (e.g., "Can we substitute a less hazardous catalyst during this turnaround?") and are valuable to consider throughout a facility's life.
Not always. The goal is to reduce reliance on these systems. A successful ISD review might eliminate the need for some safety systems, or reduce the required Safety Integrity Level (SIL) of others from a SIL 3 to a SIL 1, resulting in significant cost savings and reduced complexity.
The team should consist of senior, experienced personnel with the authority and creativity to challenge the status quo. This includes R&D chemists, lead process design engineers, senior operations personnel, and process safety experts.
