Gerry Brennan, ABB Engineering Services, Teesside, UK
It is widely accepted that in order to manage process safety it is necessary to have a periodic review of hazards on existing installations and this is required in some regulatory authorities’ guidance, typically with a five year interval.
In the UK Oil and Gas Operators have mainly employed one of two risk assessment techniques for carrying out periodic hazard review. This paper will briefly describe the nature of process hazards, then describe both HAZOP (Hazard and Operability) and PHR (Process Hazard Review) and contrast experiences of applying the techniques in a number of installations. Strengths and weaknesses will be considered including resource requirements, duration of study and the recommendations for improvement. Some findings from review of outcomes in recent applications will be presented, including one case where both HAZOP and PHR were applied to the same installations.
The paper will aid Oil and Gas Operators in selecting the appropriate technique for periodic hazard review of their installations.
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