(173b) A Simplified Process Hazards Analysis (PHA) Approach Applied for Non-Covered Processes

Often times plant managers and engineers discuss how they should address hazard identification of non-covered processes units with the same quality of covered processes at chemical plants. This paper will review a simplified PHA approach applied for non-covered processes in needs for hazard identification. The proposal approach is to use a PHA screening checklist with several level questions from regulatory check to basic risk assessment. The screening checklist uses questions applied to categories such as process, health, safety, environment, and security. The intent is to provide guidance to manufacturing facilities to determine if there are any processes that may not require a PHA (i.e. Hazop, what-if, etc.) based on the inherent hazards of the raw materials, intermediates, finished goods. The general PHA screening might contain specific sections.

Local regulatory requirements other than PSM:

-environmental compliance, building code, electrical code, nuclear, or other specific code;

Hazard screening;

-reactive hazard (i.e. water, air, acid, bases, etc.);

-flammable materials (i.e. any quality of liquid, gas, solid below limit of local regulatory threshold ;

-dust material (i.e. dealing with fugitive emissions or transportation of raw material, waste or by product;

-hazardous dangerous goods including waste;

-hazardous operating condition (i.e. pressure, temperature used for storage or transfer) ;

-proximity to adjacent covered process (i.e. potential risk effects from other process);

-toxic or corrosive materials (i.e. health and safety issues as result of potential release or exposure)