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EDWartens UK

Free course · Safety

HAZOP and Process Safety Management

Process safety for oil, gas, chemical and refinery engineers: why major accidents happen, the OSHA PSM elements, CCPS risk based process safety and COMAH, process hazards, HAZID and what-if, reading P&IDs into nodes, HAZOP guidewords and deviations, causes, consequences and safeguards, risk matrices and ALARP, running and recording a HAZOP, LOPA as the bridge to SIL, bow-tie analysis, management of change, PSSR, mechanical integrity, CSB case studies and API RP 754 indicators, ending with a full HAZOP of a separator node.

See the modules

Free to learn. Verifiable certificate £19 when you pass the final exam (optional, VAT included).

Level
Intermediate
Modules
15
Video
22 hours
Price
Free

Outcome

What you will be able to do

Explain why process safety is managed separately from personal safety; map a site's documents to the OSHA PSM and CCPS RBPS elements; judge fire, explosion, toxic and reactive hazards from data sheets; choose between HAZID, checklist, what-if and HAZOP; divide a P&ID into nodes with written design intent; generate deviations with guidewords and follow each through causes, consequences and independent safeguards; rank risk on a matrix and explain ALARP; plan, facilitate, record and close out a HAZOP; carry a scenario through LOPA to a SIL target; draw a bow-tie with real barriers; run management of change and a pre-startup safety review; learn from CSB investigations; and report API RP 754 process safety indicators.

  • Explain how process safety differs from personal safety, using BP Texas City and other major accidents
  • Map a site's documents to the 14 OSHA PSM elements and the CCPS risk based process safety pillars
  • Judge fire, explosion, toxic and runaway hazards from safety data sheets and Le Chatelier's rule
  • Choose between HAZID, checklist, what-if, HAZOP, FMEA and fault tree analysis for a given job
  • Divide a P&ID into HAZOP nodes, write design intent and apply guidewords to find deviations
  • Record causes, consequences and truly independent safeguards, and rank risk on a 5 by 5 matrix
  • Carry a HAZOP scenario through LOPA to a SIL target and draw a bow-tie with real barriers
  • Run management of change and PSSR, and learn from CSB investigations and API RP 754 indicators

Software

A spreadsheet (LibreOffice Calc is free) for the HAZOP worksheet, the risk matrix and the LOPA arithmetic, and a PDF reader for P&IDs. Commercial PHA software appears in some lessons but is not needed.

Hardware

None. Any laptop with a browser is enough. Access to a P&ID from your own plant makes the practice tasks real, if your employer allows it.

Syllabus

15 modules

Each module has video lessons, notes and a short quiz. The final exam closes the course.

  1. 1Process safety and why major accidents happen3 lessons
  2. 2Process safety management systems: OSHA PSM, CCPS RBPS and COMAH4 lessons
  3. 3Process hazards: fire, explosion, toxic release, runaway and overpressure4 lessons
  4. 4Choosing a hazard study: HAZID, checklist, what-if and HAZOP5 lessons
  5. 5Reading P&IDs and dividing a plant into HAZOP nodes4 lessonsLab
  6. 6The HAZOP method: parameters, guidewords and deviations4 lessons
  7. 7Causes, consequences and safeguards: overpressure and other scenarios8 lessons
  8. 8Risk ranking: severity, likelihood, risk matrices and ALARP4 lessons
  9. 9Running and recording a HAZOP: team, sessions, worksheet and close-out2 lessons
  10. 10Layers of protection analysis (LOPA): from HAZOP scenario to SIL target3 lessons
  11. 11Bow-tie analysis: threats, barriers and consequences on one page4 lessons
  12. 12Keeping the plant safe: management of change, PSSR and mechanical integrity4 lessons
  13. 13Learning from incidents: investigation, CSB case studies and process safety indicators4 lessons
  14. 14Capstone: HAZOP of a production separator node2 lessons
  15. 15Final assessment1 lesson

How it works

How this course works

  1. Watch the video lessonsOne module at a time, at your own pace.
  2. Take the module quizA short quiz at the end of each module shows what stuck.
  3. Keep your notesWrite in My notes beside each module and ask the trainer if you are stuck.
  4. Practise in the labOptionalTry a task from the module in the EDWartens Lab, in your browser.
  5. Sit the final examPass it once you have been through the modules.
  6. Certificate, if you want oneOptionalPaid, and only after you pass. Anyone can check it online.

EDWartens Lab

Practise this in the EDWartens Lab

Calibrate a 4 to 20 mA transmitter, tune a level or flow loop and read the trend in the Lab's process simulator.

Works alongside HAZOP and Process Safety Management. The Lab is process control practice in your browser: no install, no hardware, free to use. Sign in as a learner and it opens with your account.

Open the free lab See the Lab
Process control: Tune a real process loop.

Levels to try with this course

Optional. Skip it whenever you like: it never blocks your progress or your certificate.

Why practise in a lab

Technical work is judged on what you can do: wiring, commissioning, finding a fault. Doing a task yourself teaches more than watching it a second time, and a lab lets you try it safely before you meet real equipment. It does not replace working on real hardware.

  • Practise safely, so a mistake costs nothing.
  • The lab checks your work like a site test, so you know when it is right.
  • Free, in your browser, with nothing to install.

Certificate

An optional certificate when you pass

Learning is free. Pass the final exam and you can have a certificate for £19, including VAT, with a number employers can check online. It records that you completed a free online course; it is not a regulated qualification or a CPD certificate.

  • Your name, the course, its study time and your final exam score
  • A unique certificate number and a QR code to its verification page
  • Issued by Wartens Ltd; add it to your LinkedIn profile in one click
  • Pay now or after you pass: it is issued the moment you pass the final

How the certificate works

Sample certificate for HAZOP and Process Safety Management

Credits

Who made the lessons

The video lessons belong to their creators. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, quizzes and the final exam.

Questions

About this course

What is this HAZOP and process safety management course?
It is a free-to-learn, self-paced course in HAZOP (hazard and operability study) and process safety management for oil, gas, chemical and refinery plants. It covers the OSHA PSM and CCPS frameworks, process hazards, P&ID nodes and guidewords, causes, consequences and safeguards, risk matrices, LOPA, bow-ties, management of change and CSB case studies, and ends with a HAZOP of a separator node.
Who is the HAZOP course for?
It is for process, chemical, mechanical, instrument and safety engineers, operations supervisors and HSE officers who take part in or prepare HAZOP studies, and for graduates aiming at process safety roles. Engineers who already sit in HAZOPs will learn how the facilitator, the risk matrix and LOPA fit together.
What do I need before starting, and is any software required?
You need to read a simple P&ID and know what pumps, vessels and control valves do; no paid software is needed. A spreadsheet such as LibreOffice Calc is enough for the HAZOP worksheet, the risk matrix and the LOPA arithmetic, and commercial PHA software is shown in some lessons but not used.
Which standards and regulations does the course cover?
The course explains IEC 61882 for HAZOP studies, US OSHA 29 CFR 1910.119 process safety management, the CCPS risk based process safety framework, the UK COMAH Regulations and the EU Seveso III Directive, API RP 754 process safety indicators and the tolerability of risk framework, all in our own words. LOPA is taught as the bridge to IEC 61511; SIS design itself is in the separate Safety Instrumented Systems and SIL course.
How long does the HAZOP course take?
About 22 hours at your own pace: just under 15 hours of video plus notes, worked problems and practice tasks across 14 modules and a final assessment. The optional HAZOP and LOPA project on a gas-oil separation train takes about 16 hours more.
Is the course free, and what certificate do I get?
The course is free to learn, and you can earn a verifiable certificate of completion by finishing the modules and passing the 15-question final at 60 percent. Each certificate has a unique number, a QR code and a public verification page that shows the course, the modules covered and the final score.
Does this course qualify me to lead HAZOP studies?
No. The course covers the knowledge a HAZOP team member and a future facilitator need, but leading HAZOPs is learned by taking part in real studies under an experienced facilitator, and any HAZOP leader qualification comes from the body that awards it. The EDWartens certificate is a certificate of completion.
What jobs does HAZOP and process safety knowledge lead to, and is it in demand in the Gulf?
It leads to process safety engineer, HAZOP scribe or team member, technical safety engineer and HSE roles in operations and design. Oil, gas and petrochemical operators and contractors across the Gulf, North Africa, West Africa and South Asia run HAZOP and PSM programmes and regularly hire engineers with these skills.

The Professional Module is five live days of Siemens PLC, HMI and SCADA with an instructor, then a resume session and a CPD certificate.

See the Professional Module