RISK ANALYSIS

HEALTH AND SAFETY AT WORK

/DECEMBER 2, 2014

WHAT IS RISK
ANALYSIS?
 Having already identified and
classified the risks, we proceed to
analyze them, that is, the
possibility and consequences of
each risk factor are studied in
order to establish the risk level of
our project.
INTRODUCTION
The objective of risk analysis is to increase both the safety and the service
and performance of a system, reducing the frequency of accidents and thus
increasing the availability of the system. Risk analysis applies both to the
design of a new installation or product and to any modification thereof and to
its construction or repair. There are various degrees of risk analysis
depending on its complexity and scope, although, in general, the phases of a
risk analysis consist of:

 The risk analysis will determine  Risk identification.

which risk factors would
 The analysis of the consequences and damages.
potentially have the greatest effect
 The quantification of risk as a product of the frequency of the risk
on our project and, therefore, must
and the damage caused.
be managed by the entrepreneur
with special attention. You can use
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GOALS
We will analyze the case of a gas station located at De La Cultura 155 Los
Fresnos Oriente 63190 Tepic, NAY; which is not only located near a shopping
plaza but also one of the universities with the largest population in the state.
We will focus on the events of liquid fuel discharge from a tanker truck and
the fuel supply through the dispensers where we will apply the following
methods separately: HAZOP, AMFEC, fault tree analysis (AF) and event tree
( ACE).

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 HAZOP METHOD
Hazard and Operability Analysis (HAZOP), also known as Functional
Operability Analysis (AFO), was initially designed in England in the 1970s by
the Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) company to apply it to the design of
pesticide manufacturing plants.

HAZOP is an inductive risk identification technique based on the premise

that accidents occur as a consequence of a deviation of process variables with
respect to normal operating parameters. The technique is based on the fact
that deviations in the operation from normal operating and design conditions
usually lead to system failure, and consists of systematically analyzing the causes and consequences of deviations in the
process variables, raised through some guiding words.

The analysis methodology includes the following stages:

1) Installation description. The elements of the installation and their operation are described
2) Definition of the objective and scope. It consists of delimiting the areas of the system to which the technique is
applied
3) Definition of critical elements or study nodes

In each selected area, a series of nodes or points clearly located in the process will be identified. Examples of nodes can be:
the feed pipe of a raw material, the discharge head of a pump, the surface of a tank, etc. The HAZOP technique is applied
to each of these points. Each node will be characterized by certain values of the process variables: pressure, temperature,
flow, level, composition, viscosity, etc. The criteria for selecting the nodes will basically take into consideration the points
in the process at which a significant variation in some of the process variables occurs.

4) Definition of the deviations for each of the process variables, based on the guide words

HAZOP consists of an exhaustive application of all possible combinations between guide word and process variable,
discarding during the session those combinations that do not make sense for a given node.

5) Identify possible causes of each deviation

For each deviation, possible causes are listed.

6) Establish the possible consequences of the deviation and analyze which of the following alternatives is applicable
to the case

– The consequences do not entail risk: discard this deviation

– Consequences entail minor or medium risks: consideration of this deviation in the next step.

– Consequences carry higher risks: consideration in the next step and sending for analysis using a more detailed and/or
quantitative method.

7) Determine corrective measures that avoid or alleviate the causes of the deviations. Finally, possible corrective
measures will be indicated for each of the deviations.
“HAZOP” GAS STATION ANALYSIS
1) Installation description

In the present case, a gas station is analyzed, where the events of unloading liquid fuel from a tanker truck and the supply
of fuel through the pumps are combined, as shown in the diagrams in figures 2.1 and 2.2. The tanker truck is made up of:

– Tanker, divided into four compartments (one for each type of fuel). Its function is to contain the product. It must be
manufactured to withstand internal pressures and prevent leaks. It has an emergency ventilation system using an
overpressure actuation valve.

– Loading and unloading ports, one per compartment. Each discharge mouth is equipped with its corresponding
discharge valve (cut-off valve) and hose. A pump is responsible for loading and unloading.

– Level identifier: probe to measure the level of the liquid contained in each compartment.

– A gas recuperator.

– A ground connection.

The following elements are involved in the download process:

– Flexible pipe (hose): connects the discharge mouth of the tanker with the loading point of the gas station tank.

– Gas station loading port: point at which the truck connects to the gas station tank. Its closure must ensure a secure
connection and, in addition, tightness against vapors.

– Tank valve: allows the passage of fuel to the tank and prevents its return.

– Safety valve: its function is to evacuate fuel from the tank in case of overpressure.

The download area contains:

- Lightning rod

– Compressor

- Distribution panel

– Tanks for each type of fuel

– Ventilation network

The refueling area is made up of:

– Multi-product supplier

– Pipes, one per tank, to the corresponding shut-off valve on the dispenser
The unloading process follows the following steps: the operator connects the truck's ground connection to the gas station
line to avoid sparks due to electrostatic charges. The gas station line, which supplies power to the electrical panel, is in
turn connected to a lightning rod. Next, the operator connects the hose to the loading and unloading port of the truck
corresponding to the type of fuel to be transferred, and the other end to the loading port of the corresponding gas station
tank. The suction mouth of the gas recovery is connected to the tank vent network to prevent the vapors generated in the
tank during discharge from escaping into the atmosphere. Now the operator can activate the corresponding valve (cut-off
key) on the truck to allow the fuel to escape and the pump (compressor), which helps transfer it. The pipes leave the tank
(one per product) towards the gasoline pump.

2) Definition of the objective and scope. It is requested to identify the hazards using the HAZOP methodology for possible
accidents resulting from a deviation of the process variables with respect to the normal operating parameters in the
aforementioned facility.

3) Definition of the critical elements or study nodes