The riskiest moment in a facility's life is rarely full operation — it is the window around startup, when temporary conditions, incomplete systems and unfamiliar interfaces line up at once. The Pre-Startup Risk Assessment and HAZOP Integration Training Course by Arab British Fellowship Training Academy gives participants a structured way to find and control that risk before it turns into an incident.

Part of the Operations Readiness and Assurance Training courses specialisation, the programme connects operational risk identification, startup hazard analysis, HAZOP findings and control verification into a single readiness process, so that risk-based evidence — not assumptions — supports the decision to start up.

• Understand the framework connecting risk assessment to operational readiness.
• Identify operational risks and startup hazards across systems and processes.
• Apply risk assessment methodologies and build a prioritised risk register.
• Integrate HAZOP findings and recommendations into readiness assessments.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of existing controls and safeguards.
• Apply the hierarchy of controls to design mitigation and contingency measures.
• Assess personnel, procedures, systems, equipment and emergency preparedness.
• Establish risk-based readiness criteria and assurance requirements.
• Verify implementation of critical risk controls before startup.
• Track outstanding risks and verify closure of critical actions.
• Support safe, controlled and reliable transitions into operation.

Target Audience

• Operations and Maintenance Managers
• Operations Readiness and Assurance Professionals
• Risk Management Professionals
• HSE and Process Safety Professionals
• Engineering and Maintenance Personnel
• Commissioning and Startup Teams
• Project and Engineering Managers
• Reliability and Asset Management Professionals
• Process Engineers and Technical Specialists
• Operations Supervisors and Coordinators
• Project Controls and Assurance Personnel
• Professionals involved in facility startup, commissioning, and handover

Module 1: Risk at the Startup Threshold

• Why startup and transition periods carry elevated risk
• Operational risk concepts and principles
• Risk Readiness assessment frameworks
• Readiness lifecycle and assurance processes
• Roles and responsibilities in readiness assessment

Module 2: Identifying and Ranking Operational Risk

• Identifying operational risks and vulnerabilities
• Risk sources across systems and processes
• Risk assessment methodologies
• Risk ranking, prioritisation and ownership
• Building and maintaining a risk register

Module 3: Startup Hazards and Transition Risk

• Identification of startup hazards
• Commissioning and startup risk factors
• Temporary operating conditions
• Interface and handover risks
• Managing risk during the transition to operations

Module 4: HAZOP Integration and Process Safety

• Fundamentals of HAZOP and its operational relevance
• Integrating HAZOP findings into readiness reviews
• Tracking HAZOP recommendations
• Safety-critical scenarios and safeguards
• Verifying risk control implementation

Module 5: Mitigation, Controls and Contingency Planning

• Principles of risk mitigation
• Hierarchy of controls
• Preventive and protective controls
• Critical risk controls and safeguards
• Monitoring and verifying mitigation actions

Module 6: Engineering, Maintenance and Readiness Evidence

• Equipment and system readiness
• Maintenance strategies and readiness requirements
• Inspection, testing and verification
• Spare parts and maintenance resources
• Readiness assessment planning and checklists

Module 7: Assurance, Escalation and Final Sign-Off

• Risk-based assurance techniques
• Managing outstanding actions
• Evidence verification and documentation
• Escalation of critical risks
• Readiness recommendations and final assurance reporting