HAZOP Visualisation
Exploit the communication features and collaboration benefits of BowTies to visualise existing HAZOP/PHA studies (in various formats) to increase stakeholder engagement and duty holder awareness.
Graphical representation of scenarios can expose imbalances or bias in your protection portfolio e.g. your basis of safety is predominantly RESISTANCE (prevention) with little consideration of RESILIENCE (Recovery or Mitigation) or your Safeguards are of same or similar technology as the causes and you are vulnerable to Common Cause failures.
Even a well facilitated study can be poorly recorded and badly shared – consider migrating old, stale worksheets into interactive diagrams.
Ensure Safeguards (Barriers) are assigned to appropriate Causes (Threats) and Consequences.
- PHA tools (and MS-Office templates) often group Safeguards together
- Segregation of Prevention vs. Mitigation measures to provide balanced protection
Show big picture and also individual or one-to-many relationships
Categorise Components
- Highlight dependence on Threat & Barrier technology & responsibility
- Cause (Threat) likelihood, Safeguard (Barrier) effectiveness & Consequence severity
Barrier Assurance
- Confirmation of Installation, Operation & Performance via Audits & Incident analysis
Worksheet information is not lost – scenario knowledge is gained
- Utilise existing industry applications and office tools
- Improve recollection of participants
- Enhance engagement of stakeholders
- More easily identify duplication or similar barriers
- Avoid barrier imbalance on left side (more resistance than resilience)
- Incorporate multiple Risk Matrices (Unmitigated & Mitigated)
- Seamless evolution to LOPA
- Clear indication of Action status (Open & Closed)
- Reduced effort to review analysis every 5 years (MAH,HHC, MHF,MHI regulations) or after major modification (including personnel changes) or incident.
- Visual information is understood quicker and retained longer than text
Visual HAZOP
Consider conducting your HAZOP/PHA studies with the same systematic rigour that guideword/deviation based scrutiny of the design & operation offers but in a way that is easier for the participants to contribute to and keep up with and also offers clarity and traceability to help those not present to better understand the hazards & safeguards/barriers involved.
This concept has been developed and presented at international Process Safety events including the CCPS Process Safety Congress in Prague (Sep 2017) and IChemE Hazards 28 in Edinburgh (May 2018). The IChemE TCE magazine showcased the principle in Nov 2017 and the AIChE CEP magazine published a PHA version in Feb 2019 – click the links below to read the articles.
In order to test, improve & deploy this technique, candidates companies & sites are sought to work collaboratively for the benefit of themselves and others.
For more information on Visual HAZOP or HAZOP Visualisation, please contact us.
