Metrics and analytics for process hazard analysis

Process hazard analysis (PHA) studies (e.g. HAZOP) identify hazard scenarios and each scenario is examined individually to decide whether risk reduction measures are needed. However, much more can be done to benefit from the contents of studies.PHA studies contain so much data that a manual review is precluded from yielding insights into their results. Fortunately, valuable information can be extracted using metrics and analytics that consider all the contents of a PHA study. The management of safety, operability, reliability, utilization, and loss prevention can all be improved.Metrics evaluate the contents of PHA studies to provide insights into the safety of processes and the quality of studies. Measures of process safety and study quality can be compared with norms to identify possible departures that may need to be addressed.Rather than focusing decision making on the risks of individual hazard scenarios, as is common practice, analytics enable a deeper analysis of the entire set of scenarios for a process. This enables better decisions to be made on where and how risk reduction resources should be allocated. Analytics can also be used to prioritize maintenance, training, and other activities.Various analytics and metrics for PHA studies are described together with examples that illustrate their use.