Incidents of thermal radiation, explosions and toxic releases can lead to devastating consequences. Occupants of buildings are at risk of exposure to such hazards. These risks must be assessed and managed to ensure that occupants are adequately protected. If not, the consequences can be severe and long-lasting. Our Occupied Buildings Risk Assessment (OBRA) is an effective tool to assess the risks of exposure and protect occupants. It can prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future.
In the U.K. the answer is both “yes and no”. There is no prescribed requirement to perform and OBRA however the goal setting nature of U.K. health and safety legislation captures this under the principle of as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP). By performing OBRA, duty holders could identify risk reduction opportunities which would not be thought about when assessing risk from an individual risk perspective. As such OBRA studies are an expectation of the Health and Safety Executive under the Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations for both Upper Tier and Lower Tier sites.
The use of OBRA requires a deep understanding of the principles of Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) and semi Quantitative Risk Assessment (sQRA) along with consequence modelling techniques such as PHAST. These methods help to identify potential hazards (thermal, over-pressure and toxic), the effects upon building occupants and then evaluate the likelihood of their occurrence.
Are you looking for knowledgeable support to provide an assessment for chemical manufacturing and other major hazard sites? Look no more! Process Safety Consulting has the answer for you. Our OBRA services are based on the Chemical Industries Association (CIA) Guidelines for the arrangement and engineering of occupied buildings. Not only can we supply a thorough OBRA, but we can also do specific elements of the study, such as consequence modelling, and ensure that all occupied buildings are included in the COMAH Safety Report. Don't miss out on this great opportunity - contact us today to get started!