Process Hazard Analysis (PHA)
What is Process Hazard Analysis (PHA)?
Process Hazard Analysis (PHA) is a rigorous and systematic approach to identify, evaluate, and control the hazards of processes and operations involving highly hazardous chemicals. The consequences addressed in a PHA can include employee safety, release of flammable or toxic chemicals, fires and explosions, environmental impacts, public safety, extent of equipment/facility damage, and/or effects on public image. Causes of such situations are identified, and the scenarios are ranked on severity as well as frequency of occurring.
In PHA, the currently existing safeguards are accounted for, and where risk is unmitigated or deemed unacceptable, follow-up actions will be recommended. A management review is later conducted to determine what changes should be made to make the processes or operations safe.
The objective of performing a PHA is to identify the potential process hazards, detect unprotected situations and trigger the necessary safety improvements to reduce or minimize risk.
When should a PHA be conducted?
PHAs are required to be completed for initiation of a process and revalidated at least once every five years after that. Furthermore, when either temporary or permanent modifications are made to a hazardous process, a Management of Change (MOC) PHA should be utilized to evaluate the inherent hazards that can result from the change. If major changes are made to a process, a total re-do should be conducted earlier.
It is important to address normal operating conditions as well as startup, normal shutdown and emergency shutdown procedures during the PHA. The PHA team should be multi-disciplinary, including operations, engineering, and maintenance. To properly conduct a PHA, the process safety information (PSI) must be as complete as possible. We can provide PHA services including PHA auditing/review, revalidating PHAs and facilitating.
Why Work with Us on PHA?
We have conducted PHAs for a wide range of organizations and industrial facilities. We have performed PHAs for compliance to OSHA PSM requirements as well as combustible dust related PHAs for compliance per National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) guidelines.
Our experts possess extensive expertise in reactive chemistry, flammable liquids and gases, combustible dusts, self-heating/spontaneous combustion, electrostatics/electrical hazards, as well as other process safety hazards, and are available to facilitate (lead) and/or participate as specialists on teams conducting hazard/risk analysis. We provide PHA services using a variety of techniques including Hazard and Operability (HAZOP) analysis, what-if, checklists, failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA).
To learn more about our expertise on fire and explosion incident investigations, please call us at 609 240 7545 or email us at info@PrincetonSafetySolutions.com today.