Two safety reviews before formal PHAs

Abstract

Many companies do not formally begin to address process safety for new processes until a detailed design is available for study—this can lead to hazards being overlooked until the formal PHA is performed. At that stage it may be difficult to make fundamental process changes. Even when companies do conduct process safety reviews during the earlier phases of a project, they often lack formalized and documented methodologies. This article describes two safety reviews that should be conducted earlier in the design process: (a) conceptual stage hazard review and (b) preliminary hazard analysis. These reviews will identify and document important safety features such as (a) inherent safety concepts, (b) major accident hazards, and (c) safeguards. These efforts lighten the workload on the formal PHA team, because the major hazards have already been identified and protected against. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog, 2011