Process Hazard Analysis

A process hazard analysis (PHA) is one of the most critical elements of the PSM program. A PHA is a thorough and systematic approach for identifying and analyzing hazards of processes that involve acutely hazardous chemicals. Employers must perform an initial process hazard analysis on all processes covered by the Cal/OSHA process safety management standard. They must revalidate and update all process hazard analyses at least every five years, based on the completion date.

There are several methodologies or techniques that the employer can use to perform a PHA. However, the PHA methodology that the employer selects must match the complexity of the process, and must identify, evaluate, and control the hazards involved in the process. The following are different methodologies that may be employed to perform a PHA:

• What-if
• Checklist
• What-if/checklist
• Hazard and operability study (HAZOP)
• Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA)
• Fault tree analysis
• Appropriate equivalent methodology

To learn more about Process Safety Management visit our Cal/OSHA Process Safety Management Online Training web page.