What is CHAZOP?

Control Hazard and

Operability Analysis
CHAZOP is an acronym for Control HAZOP/ Computer HAZOP and is the case where the
Hazard and Operability Risk assessment technique is used to determine the risk level of a
plant’s Control System or Safety System. Most modern plants use some variation
of computer based control systems to run themselves. They are known by various names such
as Distributed Control Systems (DCS), Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC), Supervisory
Control and Data Acquistion Systems (SCADA), Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS). In a
typical process plant these systems may be stand alone operating the entire plant by
themselves or in combinations, for example a DCS may be the Basic Process Control System
plus there might be a SIS for safe shutdown of the plant in case of a problem. Or the DCS
may be the control system for the main plant and the auxiliary plants such as boilers, chillers,
compressors may be stand alone skid mounted units that have individual PLCs controlling
them. A proper risk assessment study such as a HAZOP should also include these systems.
But many times they are excluded, due to a false assumption that they rarely fail. However
they must also be included in the HAZOP and this kind of HAZOP is referred to as a
CHAZOP.

Architecture of Control Systems

As explained earlier plants will have different kinds of systems in various combinations and
in various architectures. A careful understanding of these is the first step before one
commences the CHAZOP. A typical architecture of an integrated DCS and SIS is shown
below. Note that the word integrated does not mean it is the same system, but designed in
such a way that the operator sees it as a single system. The safety instrumented system part is
different from the ordinary distributed control system part at the controller level. Also the
field instruments and devices for both systems are different but the control room operator
sees a unified view for convenience.

The CHAZOP Process

A Hazard and Operability Study is concerned about all the deviations that are possible in a
node. For more information on HAZOP, including CHAZOP please see this. In the CHAZOP
all the possible deviations from normal operation as regards the Control System are
evaluated. This could be issues such as screen going blank and operator unable to view
process parameters, or an error message that freezes the screen. Then for every such
deviation, a mitigation is decided and acted upon plus preventive measures that reduce the
possibility of such deviations in the first place, so that mitigations are not needed at all.

Cybersecurity and CHAZOP

Since Industrial Cybersecurity is a big issue these days, it has only increased the importance
of doing a good CHAZOP. Because all deviations are considered, whether they are random,
due to human error or due to malicious software. Thus only a proper CHAZOP can guard
against these risks to the plant.

CHAZOP Alternatives-
Alternatives- FMEDA anyone?

Some safety and reliability professionals believe that a FMEDA (Failure Modes Effects
Diagnostic Analysis) of the Control System is a better way to capture all the deviations
instead of a CHAZOP. This may be true if you are a manufacturer or vendor of control
systems or safety systems and want to get your product certified. However from the end user
point of view, this is good enough because it considers all possible deviations that are
experienced at the operator level and also the mitigations need not necessarily be part of the
same control system. For example, using the principle of diversity, there could be a
pneumatic control system with an air supply tank that could shut down the plant in case the
main control or safety system completely failed. This could be a CHAZOP level mitigation
but it certainly would not be part of the FMEDA study.

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