Efficiency Analysis of the Integrated Application of Hazard Operability (HAZOP) and Job Safety Analysis (JSA) Compared to HAZOP Alone for Preventing Fire and Explosions in Chemical Plants

Hazard and Operability (HAZOP) is the most widely used safety evaluation method because it systematically reviews the causes and results of all abnormal deviations in chemical plant facilities. However, fires and explosions caused by human error occur frequently. This study combined HAZOP and JSA, a chemical plant risk assessment technique, to determine the effectiveness of preventing significant industrial accidents whereby fires and explosions injure workers. The effectiveness of the 96-step distillation container cleaning process was assessed by identifying risk factors, using three different methods: HAZOP, JSA and HAZOP, and HAZOP and JSA. After completing HAZOP, JSA was used to determine the most severe risk factors. Thirty-seven additional recommendations were discovered using the JSA for the storage container cleaning operation, which was not included in the risk factors identified through the HAZOP work process. For additional risks, factors directly related to fires and explosions were identified. It was concluded that HAZOP and JSA must be combined in high-risk processes to minimize the risk of fires and explosions.