Is HAZOP mandated by law? Where can I learn about it?

Hazard and Operability Study (HAZOP for short) is a highly popular Risk Assessment method that is the de-facto primary way of studying the amount of risk in any process industry operation. By process industry we mean Oil & Gas, Power Generation, Mining and similar sectors. In this method, we break down the process units into smaller sections called nodes and every such node is studied in depth with respect to what can go wrong and if it does then what? These are known as deviations.
The short video below gives an idea of the process.

All this is known, but the question that is asked by many is whether there is any legal basis for carrying HAZOP? Well, the answer is Yes and No. If you are looking for some Bill passed in Congress or some Act of Parliament in some country that says you must do a HAZOP, then no. There is to the best of my knowledge, no such law. BUT many of the legal acts in various countries and other rules and regulations have some references. For example in the US, following OSHA guidelines is mandatory by law and their 14 elements of Process Safety Management (PSM) do include Risk Assessment of the process, where HAZOP is specifically mentioned.

So while there is no direct law that says that you must do it, there are many indirect legal references that say that you must do it. Finally, all that matters is that if ever there is an accident AND the matter goes to court, the judge will be mighty annoyed if he/she discovers that you were not carrying out Risk Assessments such as HAZOP, especially when everyone else is doing it and it is given in OSHA guidelines and the fact that it costs much much less, than the cost of the plant (or the cost of the accident, which will be anyway more than the cost of the plant).

So now take your pick , whether to do it or not.

HAZOP Training Video

Here's an excellent video to everybody who wants to learn about Hazard and Operability Study (HAZOP) technique, in one easy video that takes baout 5 minutes to watch.

The video is in a very interesting format. It tells the concept in the form of a story of a greenfield chemicals manufacturing project. A young project engineer, wishes to know more about why they need to do a hazop study for it. Her boss, who is the project manager, explains in a very easy way of why and how it is done.
Do watch it to get new insight on the topic. As usual if you need more information on this then the best thing to to visit the HAZOP Training page and get trained and certified!

US Chemical Board publishes Business Case for Safety

April 14, 2017, Washington, D.C.  - Today the CSB released a “Business Case for Safety” that summarizes four major accident investigations. The six page documents details how safety is good for business and ultimately a company’s bottom line.

Included in the business case are the costs associated with the 2005 explosion and fire at BP Texas City, the 2010 explosion and fire aboard the Macondo/Deepwater Horizon oil rig, the 2012 explosion and fire at the Chevron Refinery and the 2013 fire and massive explosion at West Fertilizer. Each of the four CSB accident investigation details both human and financial tolls which these incidents had on the company and the surrounding communities.

The CSB’s “Business Case for Safety” emphasizes that based on its more than 130 incidents it is clear that hundreds of billions of dollars have been spent as a result of chemical disasters in the United States. To ensure the safety of all Americans it is critical that chemical safety lesson are learned and shared among

diverse stakeholders and across industries to prevent accidents.

Chairperson Sutherland said, “If the CSB’s many safety lessons prevented at least one catastrophic incident, the money saved by preventing damage to the facility and surrounding community, avoiding legal settlements, and saving human lives far exceeds the agency’s $11 million annual budget.”

The CSB concludes that strong safety programs are critical for the economic success of the chemical and petrochemical industries. The CSB’s continued collaboration with industry, regulators, standards setting bodies and other professional organizations proves that the CSB has a vital role in driving critical chemical safety change in the United States.