HAZARD IDENTIFICATION STUDY (HAZID)

A Powerful Tool for Identifying Major Hazards and Risk Issues

Most government licensing authorities require operating companies to carry out Health, Safety and Environmental (HSE) hazard identification (HAZID) studies during the design of facilities, as well as prior to construction and during operation. Company corporate requirements also cover HAZID studies.
Hazard studies carried out late in the design phase, such as Hazard and Operability Studies (HAZOP), often identify safety and environmental issues that can cause project delays or costly design changes. Therefore, many clients require a HAZID study during early design so that hazards can be avoided or reduced.

What is HAZID?
A HAZID study is a tool for hazard identification used early in a project as soon as process flow diagrams, draft heat & mass balances, and plot layouts are available. Sources of external hazard, such as existing site infrastructure, weather, and geotechnical data, are also required. The method is a design-enabling tool, acting to help organise the HSE deliverables in a project. The structured brainstorming technique typically involves the designer and client personnel engineering disciplines, project management, commissioning and operations. The major findings and hazard risk ratings help to deliver HSE compliance, and form part of the project Risk Register required by many licensing authorities and company in-house standards.

OUR APPROACH
Bureau Veritas believes that hazard study is an integral part of the feasibility study and design of hazardous facilities.
Bureau Veritas supplies all of the administrative arrangements for hazard studies, including the meeting’s Chairman and Secretary, the computer software support and offsite meeting venues, if appropriate.
Our Hazard Register tool simplifies both the identification of hazards and compilation of a Hazards Register.
The company provides consistent reporting formats and action response auditing to ensure that issues have been addressed to meet the project schedule.

What are the benefits?
A well-organised HAZID study activity will deliver a clear identification of hazards and safeguards at an early stage in the design of a facility. Team output helps to ensure that:
- Potential deviations from intended design function are identified and corrected;
- HSE hazards are revealed at an early stage in the project, before significant costs have been incurred;
- Hazards are recorded and actioned so that they can be avoided, mitigated or highlighted for further risk reduction measures during detailed design;
- Action responses are auditable by Management and Legislative Inspectorates;
- Design or Construction delays and budget over-runs are avoided;
- Fewer hazards remain unknown at commissioning & operation of plant.