The Risk Analysis Screening Tool (RAST) is downloadable software that can be used in a Hazards Identification and Risk Analysis (HIRA). Among its many benefits, RAST is an excellent tool when performing Process Hazards Analyses (PHAs), managing changes to a process, or evaluating and potentially reducing the risks of a process during process design.
Version 2.0 was released in March 2019. The changes included clarifying some of the technical assumptions and an easier approach to tailoring the software with your company’s specific risk tolerance criteria (i.e., your risk matrix). Two new case studies based on actual incidents were also added. The four case studies show how well RAST can predict the impact of a toxic release, a runaway reaction and explosion, a confined space explosion, and of a vapor cloud explosion. Had RAST been available during a PHA, the significant consequence of the loss of containment for each of these incidents could have been identified and, thus, the PHA team could have then recommended sufficient protection layers to help reduce the risk to people, the environment, and property.
2019 RAST Workshop Presentations
Kuwait International Health, Safety, Security, and Environment (KIHSSE) Meeting
In February 2019 CCPS held a one-day overview and workshop on the Risk Analysis Screening Tool (RAST) at the third Kuwait International Health, Safety, Security, and Environment (KIHSSE) conference. The 35 workshop participants received training on the software, its features, how they could use RAST in their Process Hazards Analyses (PHAs), and on how RAST could be used to help identify Independent Protection Layers (IPLs) using the Layer of Protection Analysis (LOPA) method. Also discussed was how identified IPLs can be used to establish a company’s Inspection Testing and Preventive Maintenance (ITPM) program to ensure that maintenance systems are in place to sustain the engineering controls essential for managing the process safety risks.
2019 Spring Meeting and 15th Global Congress on Process Safety (GCPS)
CCPS also held a two-day workshop on RAST prior to the GCPS in New Orleans. The participants received the same training as KIHSSE Conference attendees. In addition, two posters presented during the GCPS described the technical basis for RAST (i.e., equations described in the Chemical Hazards Engineering Fundamentals [CHEF] Manual) and shared a case study based on an actual incident, which showed how RAST could have been used by a PHA Team to help assess the actual impact and risk of the incident before the incident occurred.
If you are interested in learning more about RAST, please access RAST and CHEF from our website.