Process Hazard Analysis (PHA) is a foundation for process safety and risk management programs that is a set of organised and systematic assessments of the potential hazards associated with an industrial process. A PHA involves the use of qualitative techniques to identify and assess the significance of hazards. The Quantitative Methods are used to help prioritised risk reduction including: Hazard and Operability Study (HAZOP), What-If Study, Fault Tree Analysis, Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and Major Hazard Analysis (MHA), etc.

Reference Definition by Gmigasandflame.com: A PHA is an OSHA directive that identifies safety problems and risks within a process, develops corrective actions to respond to safety issues, and pre-plans alternative emergency actions if safety systems fail. The PHA must be conducted by a diverse team that has specific expertise in the process being analysed. There are many consulting and engineering firms that also provide PHA services. PHA methodologies can include a What-If Analysis, Hazard and Operability Study (HAZOP), Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA), and a Fault Tree Analysis.

Related Definitions in the Project: The HSE Management