HIRA

Hazard Identification & Risk Assessment (HIRA)

See hazards before they become incidents—then reduce risk in a deliberate, defensible way.

What is HIRA?

HIRA (Hazard Identification & Risk Assessment) is a structured approach to finding what can go wrong and evaluating the risk so you can decide what to do about it. In process industries, HIRA looks across people, equipment, procedures, and the surrounding environment to anticipate scenarios such as loss of containment, overpressure, ignition, toxic exposure, and utility failures—throughout the asset lifecycle from design to decommissioning.

Why conduct HIRA?

• Prevent major accidents by spotting credible scenarios early and prioritizing the biggest risks.
• Meet requirements from regulators, clients, and insurers through a transparent, evidence-based process.
• Improve reliability & uptime by controlling high-impact failure modes that drive unplanned shutdowns.
• Allocate resources wisely with a risk-ranked action plan (focus on what actually moves risk).
• Strengthen culture—shared risk awareness and clear ownership of critical barriers and safeguards.

Our HIRA Methodology

1. Define Scope & Criteria
   Set boundaries (processes/units/activities), stakeholders, and risk criteria (consequence categories, tolerability targets, ALARP expectations).

2. Gather Process Knowledge
   Compile Process Safety Information and operations inputs: P&IDs, PFDs, causes & effects, MSDS/SDS, layouts, relief/flare data, DCS/SIS narratives, permits, incidents, and changes (MOC).

3. Identify Hazards & Scenarios
   Use multiple lenses to avoid blind spots: energy sources, chemistry & reactivity, containment integrity, human factors, maintenance/contractor interfaces, SIMOPS, utilities, external events (flood/fire/seismic), and environment/community impact.

4. Analyze Risk
   Estimate likelihood and consequence using your agreed risk matrix. Where useful, apply bow tie thinking to map threats → barriers → consequences, and use LOPA to check if independent protection layers are sufficient.

5. Evaluate & Decide
   Compare residual risk to criteria; determine if additional controls are required. Apply the hierarchy of controls (eliminate → substitute → engineer → admin → PPE) and align with functional safety needs for SIF/SIL where applicable.

6. Action Planning
   Convert findings into a risk-ranked action register with owners, due dates, and verification methods. Separate quick wins from foundational fixes (e.g., design changes, MI strategy, alarm rationalization).

7. Document, Communicate, and Verify
   Issue a concise report, hazard register, and barrier summary. Brief leaders and frontline teams, embed actions in existing systems (e.g., MOC, CMMS, action tracker), and define metrics to monitor barrier health.

8. Maintain & Refresh
   Revisit HIRA at set intervals and upon triggers: process changes, incidents, new projects/startups, turnarounds, and organizational changes.

Typical HIRA tools we facilitate: HAZID workshops, task-based risk assessments/JSA, What-If/Checklist reviews, Bow Ties, LOPA screening, and barrier/critical control reviews.

Benefits You Can Expect

•  Clear line of sight to top risks with a heat map and barrier view everyone understands.
•  Fewer surprises—fewer leaks, trips, and permit upsets; better turnaround readiness.
•  Regulatory confidence via traceable decisions and auditable risk criteria.
•  Better capital & OPEX decisions by tying spend to quantified risk reduction.
•  Capability uplift through on-the-job coaching and role-based training.

What We Do

•  End-to-end HIRA facilitation for operating assets and projects (greenfield/brownfield), on site or virtual.
•  Hazard registers & risk matrices tailored to your business, aligned with corporate standards and international best practice.
•  Bow tie and barrier management to define critical controls, performance standards, and assurance tasks.
•  Integration with PSM—link actions to MOC, PSSR, MI, procedures, training, and emergency planning.
•  Competency & training—practical courses for engineers, operators, supervisors, and contractors; leader briefings.
•  Independent reviews & audits—periodic effectiveness checks on critical controls and verification of action closure.
•  Digital enablement (optional)—templates or workflow tools for risk registers, action tracking, and KPI dashboards.

Deliverables

•  HIRA Report & Executive Summary
•  Hazard/Risk Register with rankings and rationale
•  Risk Heat Map and Bow Tie/Barrier Pack (where used)
•  Action Plan with owners, due dates, and verification method
•  Training & briefing materials for rollout

When Should You Run a HIRA?

•  New projects and major modifications (pre-FEED/FEED, detailed design, pre-startup)
•  Organizational or operating mode changes (SIMOPS, temporary procedures)
•  Before turnarounds and non-routine work; after significant incidents or near misses
•  Periodically for high-hazard units to confirm barriers remain effective

Ready to Reduce Risk—Systematically?

Whether you need a targeted HAZID, a site-wide HIRA, or an independent barrier review, we’ll help you see the whole risk picture and act where it counts most. Let’s discuss your scope and goals.