HAZOP Analysis Process Template

Use this HAZOP Analysis Process Template to systematically identify possible hazards in a system, and operability problems likely to lead to nonconforming products.

Introduction to HAZOP Analysis Process Template:

Record checklist details

Document your processes

Understand key HAZOP definitions

Step one - Form a HAZOP team:

Form and assess your HAZOP team

Define scope, objectives, and responsibilities

Step two - Identify each element and its parameters:

Create a plan

Identify your guide words

Understand guideword use

Step three - Consider variation effects:

Set up a meeting to evaluate parameter deviations

Conduct your meeting

Record meeting notes

Step 4 - Identify any hazards or failure points:

Document and HAZOP assessment results

Approval: Study output

Resources:

Related checklists:

Introduction to HAZOP Analysis Process Template:

HAZOP is a structured and systematic examination of complex, planned, or existing processes or operations used to identify and evaluate problems that may represent risks to personnel equipment.

HAZOP (Hazard and Operability Study) systematically identifies possible hazards in a system, identifying operability problems likely to lead to nonconforming products.

HAZOP is designed from the theory that risk events are caused by deviation from design or operating intentions.

The process is broken down into its constituent steps, and every variation of system elements is considered, to see what could go wrong.

As the old proverb goes:

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"

When thinking about hazards in the workplace, this statement rings true. According to the International Labour Organization, we are in an occupational safety and health crisis, costing the global economy $1.25 trillion.

Who pays for hazard and risk assessment neglect?

Everyone.

By following this checklist, you will implement a thorough, orderly, and systematic approach to identify, evaluate, and control the hazards of workplace processes.

Deviations from operating intentions are identified by using a set of guide words as a systematic list of deviation perspectives. This is a unique feature of the HAZOP assessment.

How to use this checklist

At the beginning of this checklist, you will be presented with a set of specialized questions given as form fields. You are required to populate each form field with your data.

A Hazard and Operability Study systematically investigates each element in a process, with the goal of finding potential situations that would cause that element to pose a hazard or limit the operability of the process as a whole.

The process of HAZOP is split into four basic steps:

HAZOP team formation
Identification of elements in the system
Consideration of possible variations in operating parameters
Identification of hazards or failure points

At the end of each stage, your supervisor/manager will review your work using Process Street's approvals feature. The resulting information is then used to make system improvements. The best way to apply the results will depend on the nature of the system.

Features used in this template include:

Stop tasks - To ensure task order.
Dynamic due dates - To make sure your initiative is reviewed on time.
Role assignment - To delegate tasks within your team ensuring your supervisors are appropriately assigned to the review tasks.
Approvals - Tasks can be accepted, rejected, and rejected with comments.

Record checklist details

In this HAZAOP Process, you will be presented with the following form fields for which you are required to populate with your specific data. More information for each form field is provided via linkage to our help pages:

Let's start by recording your business details, your details, and the details of your supervisor or manager.

This is a stop task, meaning you cannot progress in this template until the required form fields are populated.

Business details

Business name

Your details

Your full name

Details of Manager/Supervisor

Manager's name

Checklist details

Once set, the due date for this HAZOP Process will be used to set a dynamic due date, notifying your manager for the needed stage approval when required.

Checklist due date

Document your processes

It is easier to conduct a HAZOP assessment on your business operations if your operations are documented as a process.

Dedicate time to do just this using Process Street. With Process Street you can document any business operation as a checklist just like this one.

For more information on how to do this, watch the below video: Basics of Creating and Editing Templates

Understand key HAZOP definitions

When describing the HAZOP methodology, the following definitions are useful:

Hazard: Potential source of harm. Deviations from operational or design intent my constitute or produce a hazard. It is important to be aware that a single hazard could potentially lead to multiple forms of harm.
Harm: Physical injury, or damage to health or people, the property, or the environment. Harm is a consequence of a hazard and can take many forms: Patient or user safety, business risk, regulatory risks, environmental risks.
Risk: A combination of the probability of harm, and the severity.

Use the subtask list below to confirm that you understand the above definitions. This is a stop task, meaning you cannot progress in this checklist until confirmation.

1

I understand what is meant by a hazard
2

I understand what is meant by harm
3

I understand what is meant by risk

Step one - Form a HAZOP team:

Form and assess your HAZOP team

Assemble your HAZOP team. Your team of workers should have a variety of expertise.

To ensure your team has the experience required, assess your team against the below subtask list. Check off each task as confirmation your team contains that expertise.

1

Expertise in operations
2

Expertise in maintenance
3

Expertise in instrumentation
4

Expertise in engineering/process design
5

Other specialists as needed

If your team contains other specialists as needed, use the long text below to detail this/these other specialists.

Other specialists

Assessing the individuals in your team, make sure they have:

1

Experience in their part of the system
2

Knowledge of their part in the system
3

Understanding of their part in the system
4

A willingness to consider reasonable variations at each point in the system

Define scope, objectives, and responsibilities

Once you have formed your HAZOP team and assessed its effectiveness, the next stage is to identify the assessment scope, to focus effort.

This begins with defining the study boundaries, key interfaces, and key assumptions that the assessment will be performed under. Use the long-text form fields below the document this information.

Study boundaries

Key interfaces

Key assumptions

Step two - Identify each element and its parameters:

Create a plan

The HAZOP team will then create a plan for the complex work process, identifying individual steps or elements.

This stage, otherwise known as the preparation phase, involves:

Identifying and locating supporting data and information
Identification of the audiences and users of the study outputs
Project management preparations (for instance, scheduling meetings, transcribing proceedings)
A consensus of template format to record the study outputs

Use the long-text form fields below to detail the required information for the preparation phase.

Supporting data and information summary

Audiences and users of study outputs summary

Project management required preparations

Template format for study output

To thoroughly examine the systems, all elements (parts or steps) of the system or process need to be considered. For this make sure to:

1

Break down physical systems into smaller parts as necessary
2

Break down processes into discrete steps or phases
3

Group similar parts or steps together to facilitate the assessment

Use the long text form fields to summarize the system elements.

System elements summary

Identify your guide words

The identification of deviations from the design intent is predetermined using guide words.

Examples of guide words include:

No or not
More
Less
Other than
Early
Late
As well as
Part of
Reverse (of intent)
Before
After

You can use any one of the guide words detailed in the above list. Alternatively, use your own as needed. Use the long-text form field below to detail the guidewords to be used.

Guidewords

HAZOP guide words are used to stimulate brainstorming of potential risks.

Understand guideword use

Take a look at the below examples, for further clarification on guide word use:

Not or not - No detergent added
Less - Too little detergent volume added
More - Too much detergent volume added
Part of - Critical detergent component omitted
Other than - Wrong detergent used

With the selection of guide words, the next stage of the HAZOP process can begin.

Step three - Consider variation effects:

Set up a meeting to evaluate parameter deviations

For each system element, the team needs to consider the effects of deviation from the normal. It is good to do this as an open discussion. Set up a meeting for this discussion.

Use the members form field below to select the attendees for this meeting.

Set a meeting due date. All assigned members will be notified a day before the meeting is due to be undertaken.

Meeting date

Conduct your meeting

In your meeting draw on the system elements:

Use your guide words along with the identified system elements to reveal credible deviations.

Consider the possible consequences of variation from these parameters.

Make sure to document key meeting notes during the meeting.

System examination process

To help you examine the system, you can follow the examination process below

1

Explain overall design
2

Select a part
3

Examine and agree on design intent
4

Identify relevant elements
5

Identify whether any of the elements can be usefully sub-divided into characteristics
6

Select an element (and characteristics if any)
7

Select a guide word
8

Apply the guide word to the selected elements (and to each of its characteristics as relevant) to obtain a specific interpretation