Risk Assessment: Theory, Methods, and Applications

CHAPTER 9

HAZARD IDENTIFICATION

One should expect that the expected can be prevented, but the unexpected should have been expected.

—Norman Ralph Augustine

9.1 INTRODUCTION

This chapter deals with the first question in the triplet definition of risk: What can go wrong?' Answering this question implies identifying all the hazards and threats and all the hazardous events that can cause harm to one or more assets. Several methods have been developed for these purposes and these methods are usually referred to as hazard identification methods.

Hazard identification: The process of identifying and describing all the significant hazards, threats, and hazardous events associated with a system (DEF-STAN 00–56, 2007).

9.1.1 Objectives of Hazard Identification

The objectives of the hazard identification process are to:

1. Identify all the hazards and hazardous events that are relevant during all intended use and foreseeable misuse of the system, and during all interactions with the system.
2. Describe the characteristics, and the form and quantity, of each hazard.
3. Describe when and where in the system the hazard is present.
4. Identify possible triggering events related to each hazard.
5. Identify under what conditions the hazard could lead to a hazardous event and which pathways the hazard may follow.
6. Identify potential hazardous events that could be caused by the hazard (or in combination with other ...