Description
PHA worksheets hold vital information on process risks but much of it is obscured by the vast amount of data they contain. Analytics can be used to transform the data into meaningful information and enable better decisions on reducing risks. The management of safety, operability, reliability, utilization, and loss prevention can all be improved.
Why Use PHA Analytics?
Rather than focusing decision making exclusively on the risks of individual hazard scenarios from PHA studies, 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 provide insights that are typically hidden, or not considered, in conventionally conducted PHA studies. For example, sets of scenarios can be compared for different parts of a process or across processes to identify overlooked scenarios. Furthermore, analytics can be used to prioritize maintenance, training, and other activities.
Why Primatech?
Primatech has been a pioneer in PHA practices and techniques since our founding. Primatech has conducted thousands of PHA studies for a wide range of industry clients, and has taught thousands of individuals how to perform PHA studies in our training courses.
We were also the first company to offer PHA software, and we’ve spent years refining our tools and practices. This includes recently adding capabilities to PHAWorks RA Edition®, which allows PHA practitioners to run meaningful analytics on completed PHA studies.
Services Offered
Primatech can analyze your PHA studies using a variety of analytics, including:
- Comparison of risks within and across processes
The risks from a process may not be uniformly distributed across the process. Different parts may pose different levels of risk. Naturally, those parts that pose the highest risks are of most concern. The distribution of risks according to the type of hazard, such as fire, explosion, and toxic release, or the type of consequence, such as impacts on people, property, or the environment may also help inform decisions on risk reduction measures. - Analysis of the sources and types of risk in a process
Analytics relating to hazard scenario characteristics can be used to provide insight into the sources of risk in a process. Also, it is possible to determine which types of human errors, equipment failures, or external events contribute most to risk by analyzing risk profiles for them. Knowledge of the dominant contributors can be used to identify equipment, human actions, and environmental factors for special emphasis in process safety programs. - Management of safeguards
Typically, decisions are made on the adequacy of existing safeguards for each hazard scenario based largely on a risk ranking or risk estimate for the scenario. These risk estimates are holistic measures of the contributions to risk reduction for all the safeguards protecting a scenario. However, there are various characteristics of individual safeguards that should also be factored into decision making on their adequacy in providing risk reduction, for example, their position in the hierarchy of controls. - Critical items analysis
An important use of PHA study results is the identification and prioritization of critical equipment to support inspection, testing and maintenance as part of mechanical integrity (MI) programs, and critical human actions to support the development and improvement of operating, maintenance, and other procedures, such as those for emergency response. Analytics can assist greatly in this use of PHA study results. - Specific queries of the database
More specific analytics can be defined that probe deeper into the PHA database. Many questions can be posed at increasing levels of detail. They may support the uses described above or they may focus on other issues.
Please contact us today if you're interested in learning more about our PHA Analytics Consulting Services
