One of the philosophies that lies behind Process Safety Management (PSM) is that each chemical process is unique. Therefore it is not possible to have a prescriptive standard that tells operating companies what to do. Instead, companies have to identify the unique hazards associated with their facility, and then implement corrective actions based on a risk-ranking methodology.

Fundamental to this approach is the concept of Process Hazards Analysis (PHA). There are many PHA methods, including HAZOP, What-If and Failure Modes and Effects Analysis — most of them conducted by a team. Each method can help the team identify hazards that create a high-risk situation. Yet many hazards, particularly to do with piping, valves and hoses,, and routine operations — such as filling a tank — are really not all that different from one facility to another. Therefore, in order to save time during the PHA and also to improve the quality of the analysis, it is useful to list and evaluate some of these common hazards before the PHA meetings start.

The articles and safety moments that contain information and guidance to do with this topic are listed below.

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