Process Safety Cases – KPB Consultants

Process Safety Courses

Process Safety is based on best available design philosophies along with detailed and thorough operating as well as maintenance practices. In order to achieve safe processes and operations, we propose a disciplined framework to manage the integrity of operating systems and processes and thereby preventing and controlling events that have the potential to release hazardous materials and energy.
We integrate Process Safety and Case Studies to define a robust project loss prevention philosophy touching all the subjects on how process safety interacts with other engineering disciplines.
Process Safety and Case Studies can further be categorized into six categories depending on their requirements, such as:

Workshop Facilitation is conducted to communicate and instruct different project teams on the specific project and industry issues and to cultivate a cooperative culture within the teams. Our HSE experts are committed to providing ample support to our clients in developing their projects through informative and productive workshops, helping them connect and engage with diverse groups to work towards a common objective.

Our Workshop Facilitation programs comprise

Hazard Identification (HAZID)

Hazard Identification (HAZID) is a team-based brainstorming technique for the early identification of potential hazards and threats affecting people, the environment, assets, or reputation. It is the method which forms the fundamental first step of a risk assessment program. Hazard Identification (HAZID) is a popular and well-documented systematic assessment for identifying problem areas related to plants, systems, operations, design and maintenance within the Oil and Gas Industry. It can either be a part of a Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) or as a Standalone Analysis for installation, replacement, modification, reduction, lifting, isolation, etc. Benefits of HAZID:

Reveals hazards at an early stage, before they occur.
Hazards are properly recorded, managed, or diminished.
Controllable preventive measures.
Avoids budget overruns.
Establishes hazard screening criteria.
Helps document non-critical hazards that may be ignored.

Hazard and Operability (HAZOP)

Hazard and Operability (HAZOP) study is a structured hazard identification technique using a multi-disciplinary team for the identification of process hazards with respect to the design and operation of a facility. The study shall ssystematically and rigorously examine the Project Facilities to identify credible deviation from the design intention in context of the complete system that can contributes potential Safety, Health and Environmental hazards and operating problems. Identifying such deviations is usually facilitated by utilizing sets of ‘guide words’ as a methodical list of deviation perspectives. This particular approach is an exceptional feature of the HAZOP methodology that enables to stimulate the imagination of the team members while examining potential deviations.

HAZOP is ideal to assess hazards in facilities, equipment, and processes and is best suited for assessing systems from multiple perspectives, such as:

To evaluate system design capability for meeting user specifications and safety standards, and to identify weaknesses in systems
To evaluate the environment for assuring that the system is appropriately situated, supported, serviced and contained.
To evaluate engineered controls (ex: automation), sequences of operations, procedural controls (ex: human interactions), etc., and to assess various operational modes, including start-up, standby, normal operation, steady and unsteady states, normal shutdown, emergency, and shutdown.

Safety Integrity Level (SIL)

Safety Integrity Level (SIL) is described as a comparative level of risk-reduction offered by a safety function, or an analysis of performance required for a Safety Instrumented Function (SIF) to maintain or achieve the safety state.
In essence, Safety Integrity Level analysis is an estimation of performance recommended for a Safety Instrumented Function (SIF).
Overall, the Safety Integrity Level analysis involved 3 steps , namely, SIL Assessment / Classification, SIL Verification in line with Safety Requirement Specification and SIL Validation.

Risk assessment has become an increasingly important tool in all areas of business. Risk Assessment is the process of analysing potential hazards and identifying sensible measures accurately to control the risks at the workplace. At KPB, we address human factors in relation to health and safety, aiming to optimize human performance and reduce human failures. We help our clients take a proportionate approach to human factors in risk assessment based on their hazard and risk profile.
Risk Assessment involves the following elements:

Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA)

Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) is a formal and systematic procedure of identifying and evaluating the potential hazards associated with the operations of an engineering process and to demonstrate the risk lies in the ALARP (“as low as reasonably practicable”). QRA is usually implemented on the basis of major technical hazards leading to potential accident occurrences by using measurable, objective data to decide asset value, probability of loss, and associated risk. A quantitative risk assessment also helps make cost-effective decisions while managing the risks for the entire asset lifecycle. KPB has progressive experience in a wide variety of risk assessment and risk management applications. We have successfully carried out several risk assessment cases for various offshore and onshore oil and gas installations using very specialized software.
Main Objectives of a QRA Study:

To recognize hazards associated with a facility.
To decide the potential frequencies and consequences of the identified hazards.
To decide the system availability of the protection systems.
To quantify the risks associated with a facility (Risk Contours, Individual Risk Per Annum (IRPA), Potential Loss of Life (PLL), and F-N Plots).

Quantitative Risk Assessment process encompasses the following elements:

PHA Studies
Quantified Risk Assessment
Safety Case Development and Review
Modelling of Dispersion, Fire, Explosion and Toxic Releases
Safety Audits, Drop Object and Work at Height Surveys for both Onshore and Offshore Rigs

Fire and Explosion Risk Assessment (FERA)

Fire and Explosion Risk Assessment (FERA) is a structured and systematic process to identify and assess risks from fire and explosion hazards. The results of this assessment are used to ensure safe facility layouts, specify passive and active fire protection requirements, and to provide input for Escape and Evacuation Risk Assessment (EERA, Emergency Systems Survival Assessment (ESSA), Building Risk Assessment (BRA) and Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) studies. Fire and Explosion Risk Assessment (FERA) comprises quantification of the probability of fire and explosion accidental events, and their consequences. FERA shall quantify risks to the asset associated with events caused by Loss of Containments (LOCs).
Main objectives of FERA include :

To analyze and quantitatively assess all credible fire and explosion events connected to flammable inventories that can have an impact on the facilities.
To offer input to decisions connected to the design of systems and equipment, the layout of main areas and equipment, and the requirement to barriers.
To offer appropriate recommendations on the design and operation of the facilities that can achieve a reduction in fire risks.

A Fire and Explosion Risk Assessment includes the below steps:

Identifying all potential LOC that could result in potential fire and explosion hazards on the facilities.
Determining the physical properties of flammable inventory, such as volume, mass flow rates, pressure, temperature, etc.
Identifying the potential release types and the following fire/explosion scenarios like pool fire, jet fire, flash fire, explosion, etc.
Developing the fire/explosion characteristics for each of the identified fire/explosion scenarios (e.g. flame sizes, radiation distances, explosion overpressure distances, etc.).
Determining the leak frequencies linked to each fire/explosion scenario.
Deciding the possible escalation scenarios and consequences of each event, with consideration of the control and mitigation measures proposed.
Proposing additional measures for control and mitigation of the fire/explosion hazards for review as part of ALARP demonstration process.

Building Risk Assessment (BRA)

Building Risk Assessment (BRA) is a tool used to evaluate the risks to people in occupied buildings in the facility. It accurately measures the risk and identifies any improvements that are required to ensure that they are adequately safeguarded for any major accidental events.
At KPB Building Risk Assessment is carried out to assess the explosion, fire, and toxic release hazards using the three-stage process outlined by API RP 752. BRA Stage 1 and 2 involve the following steps:

Identifying potential hazards to which the buildings might be exposed, which may be from the operator or neighboring facilities.
Conducting consequence modelling as per Stage 2 BRA requirements and based on plant compositions, data and configuration for the facility.
Performing a detailed stage 3 BRA for major hazards, in case the mitigation measures identified at Stage 2 for the buildings are cost-prohibitive and impractical.
Identifying and recommending suitable prevention and mitigation measures for the building those are subject to unacceptable consequences from potential vapour cloud explosion (VCE), flammable cloud, fire and toxic hazards.
Providing design explosion overpressure and impulse values for the buildings.

The COMAH/Safety Case approach is a systematic procedure for the identification, evaluation and documentation of Major Accident Hazards (MAH) and the risk levels of new projects, existing facilities and operations.
It is a facility or operation-specific demonstration of the HSE Management System in action, documenting that risks have been, or will be, reduced to ‘acceptable’ or ‘as low as reasonably practicable’ (ALARP).
KPB has a panel of expert compliance consultants to carry out Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) Safety Cases. Our compliance experts can help our clients compile COMAH Safety Cases and achieve COMAH Regulations Compliance by offering advice on compliance with all the essential health and safety legislation in the field of MAH process safety management.

Health Safety and Environmental Critical Equipment Systems (HSECES) are characterized as parts of an establishment and its structures, plant equipment and system (involving computer programs) or any part thereof, the collapse of which could cause or essentially contribute to; or a reason for which is to forestall or confine the impact of major accident hazards. The consultant carries out the HSECES audit by benchmarking the ongoing activities in a company and highlighting potential exposure and significant HSE risks. The business impact of these risks is studied against Threat Controls (Barriers), Recovery Preparedness Measures and associated Escalation Controls which form the HSE Critical Systems. Benefits of HSECES:

Evaluates the ongoing activities in an organization, featuring possible exposure and significant HSE risks.
Protects workers and the environment from a major hazard involving fire, explosion and the release of toxic gases and fumes.
Ensures effective escape from affected areas of the site, evacuation of the site or transference of people to a place of safety.

Benefits of Drilling HSE Consultancy Services:

Recognizes the importance that onsite equipment is ‘Fit for Purpose’ and performs as designed.
Helps you work cooperatively as part of a team with Operators and Drilling Contractors alike.
Enables to apply sound safety judgment and common sense while evaluating the potential risks.

Deliverables for Onshore & Offshore Rigs:

HSE Audit, Survey & inspection Study
Drop Object Survey/Inspection/audit Study
Safety Case Study
Working at Height Audit Study
Noise Survey Study
Environmental Impact Assessment
Occupational Health Risk Assessment