Process Hazard Analysis (PHA) Independent Review
The facility was spending a disproportionate amount of time and money on closing PHA recommendations that led the client to question the validity in the sheer number of recommendations as well as the size of the gaps the recommendations identified. The client sought an independent review of their PHA findings, their PHA guidance documents, and their risk matrix to ensure the accuracy, reliability, and efficiency of their hazard assessments.
Client: Midstream Operator | Location: Alberta, Canada
Our Solution
- Reviewed client’s internal guidance documents including the Risk Matrix and PHA procedures to understand how severities were assessed.
- Evaluated the identification and documentation of the PHA findings in the PHA Report to assess the proper application of standards, appropriate risk ranking, and appropriate identification of recommendations.
- Benchmarked severity guidance and distribution against similar operators in the industry to identify areas of improvement.
- Provided actionable recommendations to address findings, discrepancies, gaps and areas for improvement, prioritized in an implementation plan.
Key Findings
- Disproportionate severity distribution when comparing to industry peers.
- Lack of guidance document on severity which would assist with preventing improper severity ranking.
- Initiating events likelihood were overestimated in the PHA, especially human errors.
- Incomplete risk reduction identified and applied in the form of missed safeguards or un-applied conditional modifiers when usage was reasonable and available.
The Benefits
- Accurate Risk Identification – Assurance that high-risk findings were properly identified.
- Operational Efficiency – Optimization of staff resources through improved PHA processes and true risk reducing findings.
- Improved Safety – Enhanced reliability and accuracy of future PHAs contributing to overall process safety.
Related Cognascents Solutions
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