A global chemical manufacturer with a facility in Brazil that manufactures soil fumigants, fungicides, biological inoculants, and specialty fertilizer products needed to conduct a remote Process Hazard Analysis (PHA) and Layer of Protection Analysis (LOPA). Specifically, this new PHA/LOPA study focused on conceptually identifying any hazards associated with several specific photovoltaic (PV) reactors for the production of two chemistry products. The challenges to conducting a remote PHA are several. Not being able to visit the facility to identify possible issues, especially for human factors and facility siting, is one. Being able to share with all participants the Process Safety Information (PSI) and P&IDs with marked-up nodes or study sections is another issue. The client’s employees spoke Portuguese and only a little English.
After the client provided the PSI such as P&IDs, SOPs, data sheets, SDSs, etc., the ioMosaic team pre-populated the PHA and LOPA worksheets into Process Safety Office® PHAGlobal® software. These software templates ensure a comprehensive identification of all possible hazards. Previous PHA scenarios were included in the preparation work. The ioMosaic team then thoroughly examined all PSI for potential deviations prior to the first day of the PHA. All PSI was made available electronically, and by using the highlight function in Adobe PDF, the nodes or study sections were appropriately marked. We used the client’s risk matrix, which was included in PHAGlobal®. To assist with identifying possible issues in human factors and facility siting, the client provided photos and videos of equipment and process area before and during the study and also an electronic plot plan of the site.
To ensure success from day one, ioMosaic conducted a short test run of the video conferencing software and equipment with all participants and also verified each participant could share their screen if necessary. The ioMosaic PHA/LOPA facilitator was a Portuguese native speaker and highly experienced with extensive knowledge in process safety management, process hazard analysis, compliance audits, quantitative risk assessment, and facility siting. All preparation work and meetings were conducted in Portuguese, as requested by the client, and did not exceed 6 hours per day.
For this PHA, ioMosaic used the HAZOP, checklist, and What IF? methodologies. The checklist was used to identify Human Factors issues. Hazard scenarios were identified using deviation guidewords in combination with process parameters such as flow, pressure, temperature, etc. The ioMosaic team performed a risk ranking of identified scenarios to determine their criticality and need for further attention. For those scenarios that posed an unacceptable risk, recommendations were made to reduce risk to acceptable levels. All scenarios with consequences rated 3 or higher that were identified in the HAZOP study were included in the LOPA study.
There are times when travel restrictions and schedule conflicts prevent conducting a PHA face-to-face, so choosing a remote PHA is the flexible option. ioMosaic provided an experienced PHA leader who was also a scribe, and the PHA and LOPA were completed in six days. Our facilitator ensured the entire team was concentrating on the same process equipment on each drawing and that they worked together to identify hazards in the system.
For each chemistry analyzed a draft report was issued initially for the client’s review and comments. Included with all the final reports was a summary of the recommendations in a format that allowed tracking action items to completion. Additionally, the report appendices included the highlighted P&IDs, Procedures, PFDs, Alarms and Interlocks, Incompatibility Matrix, SDSs, Incidents, Risk Matrix, PHA Worksheets, LOPA Worksheets, PHA and LOPA recommendations, and PHA and LOPA leader qualifications. The client was pleased with the depth of detail in the reports and the peace of mind that a centralized action item tracking program brings to ensure that recommendations are followed up on, documentation is maintained, and close-out is completed.