Process Safety & Incident Investigation
HAZOP Leadership & Advanced Process Analysis
An advanced HAZOP programme for mid-to-senior process safety and engineering professionals responsible for leading, participating in or overseeing complex hazard identification and risk assessment. Going beyond conventional guideword analysis, participants apply advanced methodologies for identifying process hazards, evaluating risk assumptions, challenging the adequacy of existing safeguards and verifying risk reduction measures — integrating HAZOP findings with broader Process Safety Management (PSM) frameworks and organisational governance.
Industry focus: Petrochemical & Manufacturing Plants
Who Should Attend
Designed for these roles
- Engineering Directors accountable for process safety performance
- Technical Authorities overseeing hazard identification and risk assessment
- Process Safety Managers leading HAZOP, PHA and safeguard reviews
- Plant Managers and Senior Process Engineers responsible for operational risk decisions
Delivery formats
- Customised in-house training at your plant or office
- Public classroom delivery, subject to schedule
- Live online delivery where suitable
- Recommended group size: 8–20 participants
Problems Solved
What this course fixes
HAZOP studies that become guideword recitals instead of genuine hazard challenge
Safeguards accepted at face value without verifying independence or effectiveness
Weak recommendations that cannot be tracked to closure or defended at governance level
Human and organisational factors on process safety left unexamined in the study room
HAZOP findings disconnected from the wider PSM framework and decision-making
Learning Outcomes
What participants can do after the programme
Outcomes are written as tasks, not topics — so managers can verify capability back at work.
- Lead and actively contribute to complex HAZOP studies and multidisciplinary workshops
- Apply advanced HAZOP methodologies to identify process hazards beyond standard guideword analysis
- Critically evaluate risk assumptions, challenge safeguards and verify the effectiveness of risk reduction measures
- Address human factors and organisational influences on process safety
- Develop high-quality recommendations and improve action tracking and management
- Integrate HAZOP findings with Process Safety Management (PSM) and improve process safety governance
- Apply lessons learnt from major industrial incidents — Piper Alpha, Deepwater Horizon, BP Texas City, Buncefield, Flixborough and more — to strengthen hazard identification practice
Course Outline
Detailed programme content
Day 1 — Leadership, Advanced Methodology, Risk & Human Factors
- Module 1 — Process Safety Leadership & Major Accident Prevention: evolution of process safety and lessons learnt, why HAZID/HAZOP/LOPA studies fail, leadership responsibilities, risk-based decision making
- Module 2 — Advanced HAZID & HAZOP Methodology Refresher: preparation, scoping and node allocation; guideword applicability, scenario credibility, safeguard evaluation and consequence assessment; common pitfalls — Exercise 1: Mini-HAZOP
- Module 3 — HAZOP Quality & Risk Assessment: risk matrices, ALARP principles, Independent Protection Layers and human reliability — Exercise 2: reviewing a poor HAZOP
- Module 4 — Human Factors in HAZOP: operator and maintenance error, interface design, alarm and fatigue management — Exercise 3: chemical plant start-up incident HAZOP
Day 2 — LOPA, Complex Applications, Facilitation & Digital Practice
- Module 5 — Advanced Safeguard Evaluation & LOPA: the HAZOP–LOPA relationship, crediting IPLs and conditional modifiers against initiating events, SIS — Exercise 4: high-pressure hydrocarbon system simplified LOPA
- Module 6 — Complex Industrial HAZOP Applications: oil & gas, petrochemical, energy & power (hydrogen, carbon capture, LNG) and pharmaceutical scenarios — Exercise 5: small-group industry HAZOP
- Module 7 — HAZOP Facilitation & Leadership Skills: managing difficult team dynamics, extracting expert knowledge, maintaining study efficiency and documenting decisions — Exercise 6: simulated HAZOP with rotated roles
- Module 8 — Digital Transformation & Modern HAZID/HAZOP/LOPA: digital platforms, remote workshops, AI-assisted hazard identification, data analytics and digital twins — Exercise 7: the future of HAZOP for Industry 4.0
Trainer Profile
Delivered by Amir Akhlaghi
Lead Trainer — Process Safety, HAZOP/HAZID & Functional Safety
25+ years industry experience
Amir has facilitated HAZOP, HAZID, LOPA, Bow Tie and SIL studies on some of the largest energy projects in the world — from Saudi Aramco gas compression platforms to LNG terminals in Germany and NGL fractionation in the Middle East. He teaches process safety the way a facilitator lives it: scenario credibility, safeguard challenge and the leadership skills that keep a study room honest.
Real project exposure
- Appointed HAZOP/PHA facilitator across Saudi Aramco programmes including Marjan, Berri, Safaniyah, Zuluf, Fadhili and Wasit
- HAZID, HAZOP and LOPA studies for LNG terminals, regasification and ship-to-ship transfer projects across Europe, Canada, the Middle East and Africa
- SIL assessment, HIPPS and functional safety reviews for gas compression, storage and loading facilities worldwide
Certifications
- Functional Safety Expert, FS Auditor & FS Assessor
- Technical Safety Authority — PHA / HAZOP / HAZID / ENVID / Bow Tie / SIL / LOPA
- Marine terminal safety specialist (LNG, LPG, NGL) — ISGOTT, SIGTTO, OCIMF
Trainer allocation is confirmed in your proposal. Substitute trainers hold equivalent certification and sector experience.
Next Step
Run this programme for your team
We will confirm available dates, trainer, duration and HRD Corp claimable investment — and adjust the outline to your equipment and standards at no extra cost.
No obligation. Proposals include HRD Corp claim guidance.
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