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LOPA: Practical application and pitfalls

Key Information

Duration: 2 days

Available as: face-to-face and in-house training

Price: £1,400 per person

Course dates

 

Overview

Layers of Protection Analysis (LOPA) is a risk assessment method used to determine the likelihood of a scenario occurring based on existing safeguards in order to protect against identified hazard scenarios and to identify any potential shortfall in the risk reduction required to meet predetermined, risk-based criteria.

The Process Safety Leadership Group (PSLG) prepared specific guidance for the applications of LOPA to determine the required safety integrity level (SIL) for overfill protection of highly flammable fuel bulk storage tanks at sites like Buncefield, which was the location of a major incident in 2005.

This course will draw on that guidance, its relevance to LOPA assessment in general and examples of pitfalls identified during the assessment of many LOPA studies from the petrochemical industry.

The course is presented by a member of the PSLG LOPA working group that developed the LOPA guidance.

 

Learning outcomes

Delegates will be provided with information that will help them to:

  • Know when to use LOPA or another more suitable method
  • Know how to perform a basic LOPA
  • Understand how to produce an effective LOPA, including preparation for detailed LOPA assessment and risk assessment requirements
  • Be able to produce a meaningful LOPA study within their business

 

What the course will cover

The course will begin by putting LOPA in perspective, looking at its uses and its complexity, letting delegates know when to use LOPA and when to consider other methods such as a Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA). Delegates will look at LOPA study prerequisites and preparation, target frequencies, input data sources and uncertainty. It will cover how to perform LOPA: LOPA rules and IEC 61511 requirements, scenarios, conditional modifiers, enabling events and independent protection/mitigation layers. Delegates will examine LOPA outcomes: regulator expectations and ALARP considerations along with human factors. There are interactive learning elements where delegates will look at example pitfalls associated with LOPA and also consider case study examples.

 

Who should attend?

The course is aimed at those engineers, managers and safety professionals who have a basic knowledge of risk assessment, possibly gained through Hazard and Operability (HAZOP) studies and Process Hazard Analysis (PHA) studies, and would like to have an understanding of the LOPA method, how to apply LOPA and the pitfalls commonly associated with this type of analysis.

 

Book your place(s)

Course fees include all resources and a certificate of attendance (please note that all courses must be paid for via credit card at the time of booking).

Click the button below to view upcoming course dates, prices and to book your place(s).

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In-house training

This course can also be delivered to larger groups at a suitable, agreed location anywhere in the UK or internationally, online, or at the HSE Science and Research Centre. Content can also be tailored to meet organisations' own needs. Please get in touch to find out more.

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