HAZID Technique

2024-12-04

risk

Key Points

Purpose: To identify hazards from outside the process including external hazards that could impact the process or facility.
Scope: Applicable to any industry and across project lifecycles, including design, construction, operations, and decommissioning.
Approach: Systematic brainstorming workshop leveraging guidewords, team expertise, and project-specific information.
Outputs: Detailed reports, hazard and risk registers, and actionable recommendations for hazard mitigation.

Benefits and Limitations

Benefits

Early Hazard Identification: HAZID helps detect risks early in the project lifecycle, allowing timely corrective actions.
Comprehensive Scope: Considers both internal process hazards and external hazards, ensuring full-spectrum risk management.
Inherent Safety: Encourages the incorporation of safety features into designs and processes.
Cost-Effective: Mitigating hazards early reduces the cost of implementing changes later in a project.
Facilitates Compliance: Provides evidence for regulatory audits and supports formal safety assessments.
Encourages Collaboration: Promotes multidisciplinary teamwork, leveraging diverse expertise to uncover potential risks.

Limitations

Qualitative Analysis: While comprehensive, HAZID does not provide the quantitative information of methods like Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) or Event Tree Analysis (ETA).
Dependence on Expertise: The effectiveness of HAZID heavily relies on the knowledge and experience of the team members.
Broad Scope: The high-level nature of HAZID may overlook granular issues but that can be addressed techniques like HAZOP, FMEA, FTA address.
Resource Intensive: Workshops require significant man power, time, documentation, and preparation.

Introduction

What is HAZID?

HAZID, or Hazard Identification, is a structured brainstorming methodology for identifying potential hazards in industrial operations and projects. It considers hazards outside the process and as well as the environment that could affect it, such as earthquakes, extreme weather, or neighboring facility accidents. This dual focus ensures a robust safety framework.

Context in Risk Management

HAZID is part of a suite of risk management tools, operating at a high level compared to techniques like HAZOP (Hazard and Operability Study) and Bowtie Analysis. Its broad applicability makes it suitable for conceptual design stages, periodic reviews, and change management processes.

How It Works

Theoretical Foundation

HAZID is structured around brainstorming workshops facilitated by experienced leaders. Guidewords, prompts, and hazard categories are used to systematically evaluate processes, environments, and activities for potential hazards, including those from external sources.

Key elements can include:

Nodes: The project is divided into logical sections or nodes, such as systems, activities, or physical locations.
Guidewords: Words like "fire," "explosion," "earthquake," or "security breach" focus the team's attention on specific types of hazards.
Risk Ranking: Hazards are evaluated based on severity and likelihood, providing a framework for prioritizing mitigation efforts.

External Hazards in HAZID

External hazards can originate from a variety of sources:

Natural Disasters: Earthquakes, sandstorms, floods, hurricanes, or extreme temperatures.
Environmental Factors: Proximity to forests (wildfire risk), terrain instability, or nearby waterways prone to flooding.
Human-Caused Events: Security breaches, sabotage, vehicle collisions, or fires in neighboring facilities.
Community and Infrastructure Issues: Power outages, neighboring construction projects, or industrial activities creating ignition sources.
Others: Any other sources you want to consider, e.g, does the ATEX, EMC, Machinery, etc.

By including these risks in the evaluation, HAZID ensures preparedness for scenarios that might otherwise be overlooked when only looking at hazards from inside the process.

Real-World Applications

Example 1: Offshore Oil and Gas

An offshore oil platform used HAZID to evaluate both internal and external hazards during the design phase. The study identified risks such as:

Hazards: Hydrocarbon leaks on one side of the process, effecting the process subject to HAZID.
External Hazards:
- Salt water.
- Extreme weather impacts like hurricanes affecting structural integrity.
- Collision risks from nearby vessels or drifting objects.

Recommendations included structural reinforcements, advanced collision detection systems, and evacuation protocols tailored for severe weather.

Example 2: Chemical Processing Plant

A chemical plant utilized HAZID during a planned expansion. Key hazards identified included:

Toxic gas releases from new equipment and overpressure scenarios in storage tanks.
Nearby fire risk from an adjacent refinery.
Security breach concerns due to inadequate fencing and surveillance.

The outcome included upgraded venting systems, new emergency shutoff valves, improved fire barriers, and enhanced site security measures.

Example 3: Construction Site Safety

During a large tunnel infrastructure project, HAZID was employed to assess risks. Hazards identified included:

Falling objects and equipment failures.
Airconditioning tunnel
Smoke
Ice on the road.
Light driving into the tunnel
Collision in tunnel;

Actions included revised tunnel entry design, gasses and smoke detection, and modern traffic management systems.

Example 4: Decommissioning of an Industrial Plant

In a decommissioning project, HAZID highlighted risks such as:

Structural collapse and hazardous material exposure.
Earthquake risk compromising stability during dismantling.
Neighboring facility impacts on emergency response times.

Recommendations encompassed seismic reinforcement, specialized training, and coordination with neighboring facilities for emergency drills.

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Preparation

Define Objectives: Clarify the purpose and goals of the HAZID study.
Select Team Members: Ensure a multidisciplinary group with expertise in design, operations, and safety.
Gather Documentation: Include site layouts, process diagrams, and prior hazard analysis reports.

2. Develop Terms of Reference (TOR)

The TOR outlines:

Objectives and scope of the study, including internal and external hazards.
Nodes and guidewords for analysis.
Risk ranking criteria.
Workshop schedule and deliverables.

3. Workshop Execution

Orientation: Introduce participants to objectives, scope, and methodologies.
Node Analysis:
- Review specific nodes systematically.
- Use guidewords to identify potential hazards, focusing on both internal and external risks.
- Document unmitigated consequences, existing safeguards, and gaps.
Recommendations: Develop actionable recommendations to address identified risks.

4. Risk Ranking

Using a risk matrix, evaluate hazards based on:

Inherent Risk: The risk without controls.
Residual Risk: The risk after safeguards are considered. Prioritize hazards requiring immediate action, including external risks such as earthquakes or fires.

5. Reporting

Compile findings in a comprehensive report, including:

Key findings and recommendations.
Hazard and risk registers.
Supporting documents like worksheets and risk matrices.

Example TOR Structure

Introduction: Background, objectives, and scope.
Method: Overview, assumptions, and node descriptions.
Findings: Key hazards, risks, and recommendations.
Appendices: Risk matrices, worksheets, and sign-in sheets.

Advanced Topics in HAZID

Integration of External Hazards

Scenario Planning: Evaluate potential impacts of external events (e.g., earthquakes) on process safety.
Infrastructure Assessment: Examine neighboring facilities and environments for cascading risks.
Emergency Preparedness: Enhance response plans to incorporate external hazard scenarios.

Contact Us for Expert Solutions

Enhance your safety practices with Risknowlogy. We provide expert-led HAZID workshops, detailed risk assessments, and tailored training programs. Contact us to safeguard your projects and operations.

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