Process Safety & Incident Investigation
Layer of Protection Analysis (LOPA) & SIL Determination for the Process Industries
A three-day, hands-on programme on applying Layer of Protection Analysis in accordance with IEC 61511, the international benchmark for safety instrumented systems in the process industries. Participants build LOPA scenarios from HAZOP findings, assess Independent Protection Layers, determine SIL targets, calibrate risk graphs and justify ALARP decisions — working through a progressive case study that mirrors real-world risk decisions in operations, design and safety management.
Industry focus: Petrochemical & Manufacturing Plants
Who Should Attend
Designed for these roles
- Process Safety Engineers and Managers accountable for risk assessment
- Process, Operations and Production Engineers making risk-based decisions
- Functional Safety and SIS Engineers involved in SIL determination
- Instrumentation, Control and E&I Engineers specifying safety instrumented functions
- Risk Engineers and Risk Assessment Specialists
- HSE, Asset Integrity, Project and Design Engineers
Delivery formats
- Customised in-house training at your plant or office
- Public classroom delivery, subject to schedule
- Live online delivery where suitable
- Recommended group size: 8–20 participants
Problems Solved
What this course fixes
SIL targets set without a documented, defensible risk basis
Protection layers credited in a LOPA without checking independence or credibility
Initiating event frequencies and failure rate data applied inconsistently between studies
Human error probabilities and conditional modifiers ignored, overstating the credit taken for safeguards
LOPA results that never connect to the Safety Requirements Specification or SIL verification
ALARP decisions made without a cost-benefit argument that stands up to governance or regulator scrutiny
Learning Outcomes
What participants can do after the programme
Outcomes are written as tasks, not topics — so managers can verify capability back at work.
- Decide when LOPA is the appropriate method and build scenarios from HAZOP findings
- Calculate target mitigation event likelihoods and event frequencies, and determine the required SIL for each scenario
- Identify, classify and verify Independent Protection Layers — instrumented, mechanical, procedural and human-factor based
- Select and justify failure rate data, human error probabilities, common cause factors and conditional modifiers
- Calibrate risk graphs against LOPA outcomes and document SIL determination consistently
- Apply ALARP and cost-benefit analysis to decide whether additional safeguards are reasonably practicable
- Feed LOPA results into the Safety Requirements Specification and Stage 1 Functional Safety Assessment under IEC 61511
Course Outline
Detailed programme content
Day 1 — LOPA Foundations, Scenarios & Risk Criteria
- Functional safety context: IEC 61511 and where LOPA sits in the safety lifecycle
- Choosing the right method: LOPA versus risk matrices, risk graphs and full quantitative risk assessment
- Scenario development from HAZOP findings: initiating causes, consequences and tolerable risk criteria
- Calculating target mitigation event likelihood (TMEL) and event frequencies
- Exercise: building a LOPA scenario sheet for a high-pressure hydrocarbon system
Day 2 — Independent Protection Layers & SIL Determination
- Identifying and crediting IPLs: relief devices, instrumented functions, alarms with operator response and physical barriers
- IPL credibility tests: independence, auditability, dependability and probability of failure on demand
- Human factors in LOPA: operator response, alarm handling, procedural safeguards and human error probabilities
- Data sources: failure rate databases, common cause factors and conditional modifiers
- Determining the SIL target and calibrating risk graphs against LOPA outcomes
- Exercise: SIL determination workshop on the Day 1 scenarios
Day 3 — ALARP, Lifecycle Integration & Case Study
- ALARP and cost-benefit analysis: demonstrating whether further risk reduction is reasonably practicable
- Documenting LOPA for governance: assumptions, limitations and review points
- From LOPA to the Safety Requirements Specification: writing SIL requirements a design team can act on
- Stage 1 Functional Safety Assessment: what assessors look for and how to prepare
- Progressive end-to-end case study: LOPA and SIL determination on a process unit, presented and peer-reviewed
Trainer Profile
Delivered by Amir Akhlaghi
Lead Trainer — Process Safety, HAZOP/HAZID & Functional Safety
25+ years industry experience
Amir has facilitated HAZOP, HAZID, LOPA, Bow Tie and SIL studies on some of the largest energy projects in the world — from Saudi Aramco gas compression platforms to LNG terminals in Germany and NGL fractionation in the Middle East. He teaches process safety the way a facilitator lives it: scenario credibility, safeguard challenge and the leadership skills that keep a study room honest.
Real project exposure
- Appointed HAZOP/PHA facilitator across Saudi Aramco programmes including Marjan, Berri, Safaniyah, Zuluf, Fadhili and Wasit
- HAZID, HAZOP and LOPA studies for LNG terminals, regasification and ship-to-ship transfer projects across Europe, Canada, the Middle East and Africa
- SIL assessment, HIPPS and functional safety reviews for gas compression, storage and loading facilities worldwide
Certifications
- Functional Safety Expert, FS Auditor & FS Assessor
- Technical Safety Authority — PHA / HAZOP / HAZID / ENVID / Bow Tie / SIL / LOPA
- Marine terminal safety specialist (LNG, LPG, NGL) — ISGOTT, SIGTTO, OCIMF
Trainer allocation is confirmed in your proposal. Substitute trainers hold equivalent certification and sector experience.
Next Step
Run this programme for your team
We will confirm available dates, trainer, duration and HRD Corp claimable investment — and adjust the outline to your equipment and standards at no extra cost.
No obligation. Proposals include HRD Corp claim guidance.
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