Title: Risk assessment: methods on purpose?

Authors: Christian Foussard; Cédric Denis-Remis

Addresses: IFP Training, Exploration-Production, 232, av. Napoleon Bonaparte, 92852 Rueil Malmaison Cedex, France ' ParisTech-Shanghai JiaoTong, 800 Dong Chuan Rd. Shanghai, 200240, China

Abstract: When considering three proven methods of risk assessment widely used within energy sector, PHA, FMEA and HAZOP, the question of the adequacy of the method to objectives is raised. After introducing the methodological framework for risk assessment, we take a look at an overview of the three methods. From a perspective shaped by systemic paradigm, we propose the concept of symptom, as thread running through of each method. After detailing the specific symptoms for each method, we put forward two hypotheses. First, a method is not neutral and symptoms are a sign of inclination and drive representations of the scenarios developed. Second, risk assessment workshops, seen as privileged locations for organisational learning, change the relationship between actors and hazardous situations. By locating each method within the triangulation of definition from the systemic paradigm, we invite risk assessment experts to make their tacit knowledge as explicit as possible in order to identify operational levers to control their activity.

Keywords: hazards; operability; HAZOP; preliminary hazard analysis; PHA; failure mode and effects analysis; FMEA; system representation; safety engineering; organisational learning; risk assessment; risk management; risk representation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPSE.2014.070090

International Journal of Process Systems Engineering, 2014 Vol.2 No.4, pp.337 - 352

Received: 30 Sep 2014
Accepted: 01 Feb 2015

Published online: 26 Jun 2015 *

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