HIRA (Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment)

The primary objective of HIRA is to help the organization to address foreseeable significant health and safety hazards in the activities and operations in industry.

The methodology of HIRA is to assess the existing risk in any operation / activity – in conjugation with the safety precautions and suggest future safety measures in terms of improvement / addition interlock machines guarding, fire / electrical protection system and PPE to reduce risk.

HIRA  involves numbering of Risk in the matrix of 3x3 or 5X5 ( ‘severity of incident due to deviation’ x ‘frequency of occurrence’ of deviation)

NSC conducts HIRA studies as per IS: 18001 (Occupational Health Safety Management System – Requirement with Guidance for use) taking into account the plant specific applicable statutory requirements and standards.

QRA (Quantitative Risk Assessment)

The main Objective of QRA is to make quantification of the risk involved from the operations in the chemical industries and processes. The evaluation is a four step process with Hazard Identification, Consequence analysis, Frequency estimation and Risk analysis/Risk assessment.

Identification of hazard involves identifying the probable scenarios or areas for possible loss of containment in the plant.  The effects of the loss of containment in terms of damage distance, concentration, heat flux, over-pressure are assessed in consequence analysis.  Taking into consideration of frequency of failure, the risk value is calculated and suggestion is offered in the report for reducing and mitigating the risk.

The scenario for risk analysis varies between Maximum Credible Loss Scenario (MCLS) and Worst Case Scenario and also a mixture of both.

Inputs of Risk Assessment are the inventory, hazardous properties of the chemicals involved, inherent design and engineered design aspects, engineering judgment and past history on accidents.

NSC conducts risk analysis using software’s such as ALOHA, SAVE II, DNV Phast etc.