Audit of safety barriers

The risk management methodology through safety barriers using Bow Tie diagrams allows the graphical representation of the accident scenarios, adding a relational perspective between the top event, their respective causes (or threats), their possible consequences and the barriers that can act both in preventing the occurrence of the event and in reducing the probability or severity of the consequences.

H&C can assist your Company to build a management structure to allow the self-assessment of the safety barriers performance, related to accident scenarios likely to occur at your facilities and quickly have a diagnosis on how vulnerable to major accidents your installation can be.

The process proposed by H&C for risk management based on safety barriers performance uses the Bow Tie methodology and comprises of three phases that should work in a systemic way. The cycle of the risk management process by barriers is shown in Figure 1, below:

Risk Identification on Bow Tie Diagrams

The first stage of process is the identification/selection of the initiating events, the eligible scenarios and the existing barriers. After the identification/selection of these, Bow Tie diagrams are developed.

H&C have qualified professionals with expertise to assist your company in identifying which accident scenarios are to be presented on Bow Tie diagrams, as well as the development of diagrams through a straight risk analysis or the transfer of content of pre-existing risk analysis.

Definition and Validation of Safety Barriers

After identifying risks in Bow Tie diagrams, the barriers identified in the existing risk study should be validated or reviewed with the customer technical team. The Bow Tie will be revised, if necessary, to address the barriers validated by the customer.

Assessment of Safety Barriers Integrity using the Bow Tie Tool

H&Ccan assist clients in the preparation and application of the audit.

In the preparation phase, H&C will provide support in the development of audit checklists to include the technical requirements needed to assess the performance of the barriers, as well as the applicable legal requirements, depending on the scope agreed with the client.

Upon client request, H&C can provide specialists on each type of barrier, in order to prepare and carry out the audit.

H&C can provide support in preparing and monitoring the development of the action plan resulting from the audit of barriers.

The audit process for assessment of integrity of safety barriers is performed using AuditXP software that depicts graphical results straight in the Bow Tie diagram as well as the management of the audit including identified vulnerabilities and the action plan for implementing the corrective actions.

Some of the advantages of using AuditXP in the auditing process:

1. Results of barriers audit can be transferred to the bow tie diagram, quickly exposing the weaknesses of the protection systems and the risk level of the operating system;
2. Comparative or combined analysis of different audits results;
3. Easy access to audit results records;
4. Easy development of audit forms and use of export and import functions for the fast delivery of results;
5. Issuing of audit reports and action plans.

The entire Barrier Safety Risk Management process is performed with BowTie XP and AuditXP softwares from the Dutch company CGE Risk Management Solutions.

H&C Gestão de Risco is a partner of: