Hazards analysis scribe

How long will it take and how much will it cost to use a consultant to lead and a scribe to conduct a process hazard analysis review on a finished design for a new two train, crude production separation facility ... 

While taking the notes, the scribe may link comments and remarks to the names of specific individuals in order to expedite the review process. However, with few exceptions, names should be removed before the notes are published. A hazards analysis is a team effort, one in which participants should be free to say what they think. 

During the course of the hazards analysis, the scribe will be transcribing the team s discussions on the fly. Only in the rarest of circumstances with the notes be of publishable quality. Therefore, the first step in the report preparation is for the leader and scribe to clarify and expand the notes while their memories are still fresh. This can be done every day or two, rather than waiting for the conclusion of the analysis meetings. The cleaned up notes can be included as an Attachment to the final report. 

In order to save time, the leader and scribe may preselect the nodes. In a very simple process, this decision may make sense. Generally, however, the team as a whole should decide on the nodes, partly because all hazards analysis decisions are team decisions, and partly because the definition and selection of a node often is affected by the discussions that have taken place with regard to earlier nodes. Also, if the leader and scribe are from outside the local organization, they may not fully understand all the process parameters that could affect node selection. 

The scribe will enter the node description into the hazards analysis software. The start and stop points for the node should all be identified, as discussed above. Operations and maintenance experts will then provide some history and operating experience about it. Any relevant documentation to do with that node, such as equipment data sheets or MSDSs, should be put before the team at this time. 

This section outlines issues to consider when conducting a hazards analysis. In order to ensure formal compliance with the SEMS rule, the team leader or scribe should explicitly call out each one of these factors during the team... 

Some hazards analyses review confidential processes or other information that must be kept secure. In such situations, the scribe should collect all drawings and notes made at the end of each day. Then, once the analysis is complete, he or she can destroy aU documents except those that constitute the official record of the meeting. 

Out of all the team members, the team leader and scribe (secretary) are required to possess experience in HAZOP and excellent communication skills. Generally, for plant HAZOP analysis the team is formed from people with a technical background. In most of the plants dealing with hazardous materials, and/or any other hazardous situation, a person from the HSE department is made a team member. In some countries it is mandatory to keep one person from HSE. Since in most plants, control instrumentation plays a great role in ensuring plant safety through interlock and protection, it is better to keep one person from process, operation/production... 

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