(49b) The Uses and Users of PHA/HAZOP Results

Process Hazard Analyses (PHAs) performed using methods such as HAZOP and What-if that are augmented by checklists, have become well establish as a core for understanding risk in a hazardous chemical process and other processes. Some see the PHA results as an end all to them itself. But, the real benefit of performing a PHA lies in its usefulness within all aspects of controlling risk day-to-day. This paper explains the different uses of the PHA results and who uses the PHA results. It charts the path for extracts of the PHA results (including the formal PHA report) to the rest of process safety implementation and process safety control. The many uses (intended from the start or discovered later) will surprise many in the industry. Knowing the uses will help you implement process safety thoroughly and more efficiently, and this knowledge of the uses will change the amount of effort you put into the documentation of the PHA results.