HAZOP

HAZOP is an abbreviation for HAZard and OPerability analysis. Originally developed for use at manufacturing facilities such as oil refineries, offshore oil platforms, petrochemical and chemical plants, natural gas processing plants and power plants, its application has expanded to other areas as well. It is a systematic method for examining complex facilities or processes to find actual or potentially hazardous procedures and operations so that they may be eliminated or mitigated. HAZOP Studies are performed by a team consisting of plant operators, engineers, managers and others, some of whom should be intimately familiar with the facility being studied. The origins of HAZOP Studies are in the British chemical industry and its adoption was driven by the 1974 Flixborough explosion, where lack of a systematic review of modifications by appropriately qualified personnel was identified as a contributing factor.
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