A HAZOP is only as good as the room it is run in. Chaired by the person who produced the design, it rarely challenges the assumptions that matter most. When the scribe is a team member borrowed for the week, the record ends up thin, and the actions are hard to defend months later when a regulator, an insurer or your own auditor asks how a hazard was assessed.

The more common problem is people. Getting process, mechanical, EC&I, operations and maintenance representatives into one room for several days is difficult when the plant still has to run. We chair and scribe HAZOP studies for process manufacturers across the UK, and where a client cannot resource a full multi-discipline team internally, we can supply that team as well. You get a credible, auditable study without standing down shift cover and without asking a designer to mark their own homework.

What the study involves

A HAZOP is a structured examination of a process against its design intent. Working through piping and instrumentation diagrams and process flow diagrams node by node, the team applies guide words – no flow, more pressure, reverse flow and so on – to identify credible deviations, then establishes the causes, the consequences, the safeguards already in place and any action needed to close the gap.

Much of the value is won before anyone sits down. We review the drawings, agree the node boundaries and scope, set up the worksheet and brief the team, so the first session is spent on analysis rather than orientation. In the workshop the chair keeps the discussion on the node in front of it and makes sure the quieter disciplines are heard. The scribe records each deviation, safeguard and action as it is agreed rather than reconstructing it afterwards, using purpose-built software and templates so the record stays consistent and trackable.

The study does not end with the report. Where a scenario needs more than a qualitative judgement, we take it into LOPA and SIL determination, and feed the outcome back into design, procurement and your operational risk assessments. Our work is delivered under a quality management system certified to ISO 9001:2015.

What you get

  • An experienced, independent HAZOP chair who leads the study and keeps it focused
  • A dedicated scribe recording deviations, causes, consequences, safeguards and actions in a structured format
  • Pre-study preparation: drawing review, node definition, worksheet set-up and team briefing
  • Where you need it, the full multi-discipline team, so the study can proceed without internal resource strain
  • Completed worksheets with qualitative risk ranking against your own criteria
  • A formal HAZOP report setting out findings, recommendations and named responsibilities
  • An action register you can track through project execution and into operations
  • Close-out support, and onward LOPA, SIL or DSEAR work where the study calls for it

When clients typically call us

  • Detailed design is complete or nearly complete and the drawings need testing before procurement is committed
  • A plant modification has been through management of change and needs a formal study before sign-off
  • A periodic revalidation of an existing HAZOP is due or overdue
  • The available internal chair is too close to the design, and the study needs to be seen to be independent
  • There are not enough people free on site to staff a team without losing shift cover
  • A previous study is not standing up to scrutiny – gaps in coverage, or actions with no owner and no evidence of closure

Frequently asked questions

Do we have to supply the whole HAZOP team ourselves?

No. Some clients want only an independent chair and scribe and provide the rest themselves. Others ask us to bring process, mechanical and EC&I engineers as well, with the client contributing operations and maintenance knowledge. We will tell you which disciplines the study genuinely needs.

How long will the study take?

That depends on the number of nodes, the complexity of the process and the quality of the drawings. We review the documentation first and give you a session plan with a realistic number of days before anything is booked.

How is this different from a HAZID?

A HAZID is a broader, qualitative identification of hazards used early, before the design is fixed. A HAZOP is a detailed, node-by-node examination of a defined design against its intent, and needs mature drawings to be worth doing.

What happens to the actions afterwards?

Every action leaves the study with a description, an owner and a recorded rationale. We can follow up on recommendations, support the design changes that come out of them and integrate the findings with LOPA, SIL and other safety activities.

Related: Part of our process safety services. See also HAZID studies, Process Hazard Review, LOPA and SIL determination.

Whether you have a study to run, a revalidation falling due or a team you cannot fill, we can chair it, scribe it and resource it. Talk to us about your site. Request a call