Process Hazard Analysis Form

Why You Need a Process Hazard Analysis Form

Process hazard analysis (PHA) is a key component of process safety management. It will help you identify and evaluate risks so you can prevent incidents that cause injury, property damage, and environmental harm. Using a process hazard analysis form to document your findings ensures that your team doesn’t miss anything.

With a form, you’ll have a standard way to document PHA’s for either external compliance requirements or internal process reviews. You can use it to collect relevant information, team member input, action items, and critical decisions related to your analysis. A consistent form allows you to find gaps in safeguards, verify compliance with OSHA’s PSM standard, and improve communication across engineering, operations, and EHS teams. And it creates a paper trail of all the decisions you made following PHA’s.

What to Include in a Process Safety Evaluation Form

Your process hazard analysis form should allow you to list out the hazards you find and brainstorm ways to mitigate them. Here are some ideas of what you can put in your form template:

• Description of the process
• Selected PHA methodology (e.g., HAZOP, What-If)
• Potential hazards and associated consequences
• Credible causes for each hazard
• Existing engineering and administrative controls
• Assessment of control effectiveness and potential gaps
• Recommended corrective or preventive actions
• Risk rankings (before and after applying safeguards)
• Assigned responsibilities and due dates for action items
• Team member names, roles, and dates of participation

How to Use the Form for Safer Operations

Using the form starts with building a qualified PHA team. Include people on your team who have detailed process knowledge, operational experience, and safety expertise. During the review, work through each node of the process systematically and record all findings directly on the form. Ensure that you document all hazards, even the ones that are unlikely to occur.

Once you complete the analysis, use the form as the starting point for corrective action planning. Assign clear ownership and due dates for each recommendation. Keep completed forms on file for at least five years, or as long as the covered process remains in service. This documentation not only supports compliance, but also provides a valuable resource during process changes, incident investigations, and future PHAs.