Hazop Notes

Have chaired many Hazops this year. Here are some lessons:

1) Comprehensive knowledge and understanding of Process is essential and this is brought to the table by the licensor. But licensors don't participate always, in which case we depend on the operating experience of the customer. Operations team are not always very articulate and also lack the Hazop discipline. This can be very frustrating and needs to be handled patiently and sensitively. 

2) Some customers convert Hazop into a P&ID review session and try to push through predetermined changes under the guise of Hazop. Chair needs to take cognisance of this as it not only eats into time, but also disrupts the rhythm. Not to speak of commercial implications for the contractor.

3) Flow and Level have strong correlation. So if unable to make headway with Flow, try resolving the deadlock by switching to Level.

4) Hazops are under time pressure these days as customers can't afford to spare their key personnel at contractor's office for extended periods. Days are long and exhausting. If possible, heavy nodes in the morning should be followed by couple of light nodes in the afternoon. Also prudent to avoid rich food at lunch as it dulls the brain. 

5) Documentation is extremely important as it has to make sense to new people years later. Scribes have to keep this aspect in mind.