Remote Vs In Room Hazard Studies: What's Your Preference?

When I started my engineering career I was fresh out of university and in the midst of a global pandemic. Online meetings, and especially hazard studies, were the norm for myself in the first 2 years of my career.

During this time, I quickly got comfortable and used to remote working, it seemed like I would hear at least once every week ‘you’re on mute’ or ‘you’re not sharing your screen’. These hazard studies were incredibly beneficial to the client, as high-quality outputs of their process were achieved, however it was not until covid restrictions relaxed and I was regularly a part of face-to-face hazard studies that I realised the difference between the two.

The most beneficial difference I noticed, and it may be the most obvious, was the fact that in face to face studies there was the ability to do a plant walkaround at the start of the study in order for everyone to familiarise themselves with the scope of work which will be assessed. This was a massive difference from the photos or videos that can be showed via screen share during a remote study as most of the time they weren’t in too much detail as they were taken outside of a hazardous area! Furthermore, having the ability to do a quick check of a route or piece of the plant compared to the P&IDs, mid study, was incredibly useful as it ensured the correct output was recorded.

Another benefit was the ability for the hazard study facilitator to ‘read the room’. Of course this can still be done via a remote study, however body language of participants can be noticed far more easily in person and a quick break can be called to ensure they stay engaged for the rest of the meeting. As we all know, a hazard study can only be as good as the participants attending it.

The final difference I noticed during the transition to IRL, was the sense of camaraderie. During in person studies, it feels like everyone is pulling in the same direction to ensure a good quality and technically sound assessment of their process is carried out.

As well as this, the facilitators supply of biscuits/doughnuts/sweets gives everyone a lift, and a much needed sugar rush, to beat the post lunch crash – which is vital!

Ryan Roche is a Process Safety Engineer at OTECSA Consulting with expertise in hazard studies, DSEAR and hazardous area classification.

ryan@otecsaconsulting.com