**What-If Analysis for Hazard Identification** is a qualitative hazard analysis

technique where brainstorming sessions are conducted to evaluate the

consequences of deviations from normal operations. The team asks "What
if?" questions to identify potential hazards or operational issues, then
assesses the impact of each scenario. Here’s a simple structure for
conducting a What-If analysis with a worksheet:

---

### **What-If Hazard Identification Worksheet**

| **Question** | **Potential Hazard** | **Consequences** | **Existing

Controls** | **Risk Level (Low/Medium/High)** |
**Recommendations/Actions** |

|--------------|----------------------|------------------|-----------------------|--------------------------
--------|-----------------------------|

| What if equipment fails? | Mechanical failure | Injury, production halt,

environmental damage | Regular maintenance, inspections | Medium |
Increase frequency of inspections |

| What if a spill occurs? | Chemical spill | Exposure, fire, environmental

contamination | Spill containment, PPE | High | Improve spill containment,
train staff |

| What if power is lost? | Electrical failure | Production shutdown, potential

safety hazards | Backup power, emergency lighting | Medium | Install UPS for
critical systems |

| What if there's a leak in the pipeline? | Pipeline leak | Environmental

contamination, health risks | Leak detection system, regular checks | High |
Implement redundant detection systems, increase inspections |

| What if an operator is not trained? | Human error | Misuse of equipment,

safety breaches | Operator training program | Medium | Regular training,
competency checks |
---

### **Steps to Perform What-If Analysis:**

1. **Assemble a Team**: Include people from different disciplines, such as

engineers, operators, safety professionals, and maintenance staff.

2. **Define the Process**: Choose a specific process or equipment for

analysis. Break it down into components (e.g., steps in a process, parts of
equipment).

3. **Ask "What-If" Questions**: These should be focused on potential

deviations from the normal functioning of the process. Examples include:

- What if there is a pressure surge?

- What if an operator uses the wrong chemical?

- What if the emergency shutdown system fails?

4. **Identify Potential Hazards**: For each "What-If" scenario, identify the

associated hazard, which could be mechanical, chemical, environmental, or
related to human factors.

5. **Evaluate Consequences**: Determine the possible outcomes if the

hazard occurs (e.g., injury, fire, equipment damage, environmental impact).

6. **Assess Existing Controls**: Identify current controls or safety measures

that are already in place to prevent or mitigate the hazard.

7. **Determine Risk Level**: Assign a risk level (Low, Medium, High) based
on the likelihood of the hazard occurring and the severity of the
consequences.
8. **Develop Recommendations**: Propose actions to reduce risk, such as
improving existing controls or adding new safety measures.

---

Existin
Potenti Risk Level
Consequ g Recommendatio
Question al (Low/Mediu
ences Control ns/Actions
Hazard m/High)
s

What if Oil/gas
Pressure
the release,
relief Improve pressure
pipeline explosion,
Pipeline valves, monitoring, install
bursts fire, High
rupture pressure redundant safety
due to environm
monitori valves
overpres ental
ng
sure? damage

Coatings
Leak,
,
What if Corrosio spill, Implement more
cathodic
the n environm frequent corrosion
protectio
pipeline weakeni ental High testing and
n,
corrodes ng the contamin preventive
regular
? pipe ation, fire maintenance
inspecti
hazard
ons

What if Valve Loss of Regular Medium Use fail-safe

the valve failure control, valve valves, increase
fails oil/gas mainten emergency drills
during release, ance, and valve
an explosion, emergen inspections
emergen fire cy
cy shutdow
 Existin
Potenti Risk Level
Consequ g Recommendatio
Question al (Low/Mediu
ences Control ns/Actions
Hazard m/High)
s

n
shutdow
procedur
n?
es

Sabotage,
What if Security
theft, Strengthen
unauthor Unautho protocol
explosion, security protocols,
ized rized s,
injury, increase
personne access, surveilla Medium
environm surveillance, add
l access sabotag nce
ental access control
restricte e systems,
contamin systems
d areas? fencing
ation

Leak
What if Explosion, detectio Install more
there is a fire, toxic n sensitive gas
gas leak Gas exposure, systems, detectors,
High
at the release environm emergen enhance
wellhead ental cy emergency
? pollution respons response training
e plans

Injury,
What if Regular
productio
drilling equipme Upgrade
n halt,
equipme Equipme nt equipment
environm
nt fails nt checks, Medium maintenance
ental
during failure mainten systems, increase
impact
operatio ance safety checks
(oil/gas
n? logs
spill)

What if Tank fire Explosion, Fire High Install additional

the severe suppress fire detection
crude oil injury, ion systems, conduct
storage large- systems, frequent fire drills
tank scale heat
catches environm detector
 Existin
Potenti Risk Level
Consequ g Recommendatio
Question al (Low/Mediu
ences Control ns/Actions
Hazard m/High)
s

ental
fire? contamin s
ation

Environm Regular
What if Increase
ental inspecti
there is a monitoring
Leak at contamin ons,
pipeline frequency at
junction ation, automat High
leak at a junctions, install
s explosion, ic
critical enhanced leak
toxic shutoff
junction? detection systems
exposure valves

What if a
worker
does not Injury, LOTO
Human Strengthen LOTO
follow equipmen procedur
error, training, introduce
proper t damage, es,
imprope Medium periodic
Lockout/T potential training
r competency
agout gas/oil program
isolation assessments
(LOTO) release s
procedur
es?

What if Weather
Pipeline Implement
extreme -
rupture, extreme weather
weather resistant
oil/gas response plan,
condition Weather material
spill, Medium improve material
s cause damage s,
environm resilience for
damage protectiv
ental extreme
to the e
impact conditions
pipeline? coatings

Steps for Implementation in the Oil & Gas Sector:

1. Focus on Specific Systems: For a more detailed analysis, you can break this down
by specific areas like:
o Offshore drilling platforms
 o Onshore pipelines and transportation
o Storage facilities (e.g., crude oil tanks)
2. Conduct Workshops with Teams: Include personnel from different departments
(operations, safety, maintenance) to ask comprehensive “What-If” questions and
identify hazards specific to each process step.
3. Continuous Monitoring and Review: Update this worksheet regularly as new
equipment or processes are introduced or after an incident review to ensure all
hazards are identified and controls are in place.
4. Integration with Existing Risk Management Systems: Ensure the
recommendations/actions from this analysis are implemented into the safety
management system for continuous improvement.

Here’s a What-If Hazard Identification Worksheet tailored to the Construction

industry, focusing on hazards commonly encountered on construction sites, such as heavy
machinery, working at heights, and excavation.

What-If Hazard Identification Worksheet

Industry Focus: Construction Safety

Existing Risk Level

Questi Potential Consequ Recommendatio
Control (Low/Mediu
on Hazard ences ns/Actions
s m/High)

Fall
What if protectio
Conduct regular
a n
Falls from inspections,
worker Serious systems
scaffoldin ensure workers
falls injury or (harness High
g, ladders, use PPE, improve
from fatality es,
or roofs fall protection
height guardrail
training
? s),
training
 Existing Risk Level
Questi Potential Consequ Recommendatio
Control (Low/Mediu
on Hazard ences ns/Actions
s m/High)

What if Regular
Shoring
excava Injury, inspections, train
Trench or systems,
tion fatality, workers in trench
excavatio sloping, High
walls equipmen safety, implement
n cave-in trench
collaps t damage emergency
boxes
e? response plans

Increase
What if Machinery Injury, Regular
frequency of
heavy malfunctio equipmen mainten
machinery
machin n or t damage, ance, Medium
inspections,
ery breakdow project operator
ensure operators
fails? n delays training
are certified

What if
there
is Injury
improp (e.g.,
PPE
er use head,
Lack of policy, Strengthen PPE
of eye, hand
PPE or safety training, conduct
person injuries), Medium
improper briefings daily checks on
al exposure
usage , toolbox proper usage
protect to
talks
ive hazardous
equip materials
ment
(PPE)?

What if Increase
Injury to Barricad
materi Falling barricading of
workers es, tool
als fall objects hazard zones,
below, lanyards Medium
from (tools, improve storage
property , hard
height debris) of materials at
damage hats
? height

What if Electrical Electrocut Utility High Improve

electri shock, ion, fire, locators, communication
cal power project ground- with utility
 Existing Risk Level
Questi Potential Consequ Recommendatio
Control (Low/Mediu
on Hazard ences ns/Actions
s m/High)

lines
are fault companies,
damag delays, circuit ensure equipment
ed outage equipmen interrupt operators are
during t damage ers aware of buried
excava (GFCI) lines
tion?

Improve fire
Fire
What if Fire from Injury, safety training,
extinguis
there flammable equipmen conduct regular
hers, fire
is a materials, t damage, Medium fire drills, ensure
watches,
fire on- equipmen project flammable
emergen
site? t delays materials are
cy exits
stored properly

What if
Scaffoldi Increase
scaffol
Collapse Injury, ng frequency of
ding is
of fatality, inspectio inspections,
improp High
scaffoldin equipmen ns, provide advanced
erly
g t damage certified training for
erecte
erectors scaffold erection
d?

What if
a
Barricad Improve traffic
worker
Vehicle es, management on-
is
collision Injury, spotters, site, ensure all
struck Medium
with fatality high- vehicles have
by a
pedestrian visibility clear visibility and
moving
vests audible alarms
vehicle
?

What if Musculosk Back Manual Low Provide additional

improp eletal injuries, handling lifting aids,
er injuries strain training, increase training
manual lifting on proper lifting
 Existing Risk Level
Questi Potential Consequ Recommendatio
Control (Low/Mediu
on Hazard ences ns/Actions
s m/High)

lifting
is
injuries aids techniques
perfor
med?

Steps for Implementation in Construction Sites:

1. Focus on High-Risk Activities: Identify the most hazardous activities on your site
(e.g., working at height, excavation, use of heavy machinery) and concentrate the
What-If analysis on those areas.
2. Engage the Workforce: Include workers, site managers, and safety personnel in
brainstorming sessions to identify as many potential hazards as possible. Workers
are often aware of site-specific risks that might not be obvious from
documentation alone.
3. Regular Site Inspections and Updates: Ensure that the What-If analysis
worksheet is updated regularly as the construction project evolves (new
equipment, different phases of the project) and as new hazards are identified.
4. Ensure Continuous Training: Use the What-If analysis to identify gaps in
worker training (e.g., PPE use, fall protection, equipment handling) and prioritize
these in safety training programs.
5. Emergency Response and Preparedness: Make sure that recommendations such
as fire safety, trench collapse response, and emergency evacuation procedures are
clearly communicated to all workers and regularly drilled on-site.