5.7 Hazard Analysis

The hazard analysis (or the safety analysis) refers to process or equipment failure or operability. The purpose of the analysis is to determine safety parameters, which would help prevent the possibility of damage to the system andlor personnel. The safety analysis serves as an aid to establish design criteria and as an evaluation tool for the subsequent assessment of design for safety. The goal is not merely a good design; rather the goal is a successful design which anticipates problems in advance, implements corrective action on time and maximizes the operability of the system while minimizing life cycle costs. Often tests cannot be carried out under conditions that duplicate the actual field environments, which can cause human errors, such as wrong wiring, poor soldering and welding. The safety analysis is carried out to consider the effect of the equipment failure on the system and welfare of humans.

A detailed preliminary hazard analysis on a system will help us document the list of top events which will be the necessary candidates for FTA. The consequences of the hazard could be analyzed for all possible situations of the system in its operation. Based on the consequences the mishap potential could be worked out and we can group the effects into critical, severe, moderate and minor. This will help us identify those FTAs that need deeper attention and analysis.