CHEMICAL ENGINEERING TRANSACTIONS VOL. 77, 2019 A publication of The Italian Association of Chemical Engineering Online at www.cetjournal.it Guest Editors: Genserik Reniers, Bruno Fabiano Copyright © 2019, AIDIC Servizi S.r.l. I SBN 978-88-95608-74-7; I SSN 2283-9216 Layout - A Cost Effective and Powerful Design Step in Risk Management SreeRaj R Nair a, *, Jim Salter b , a GOM BU, Chevron USA Inc, Houston, USA b ETC, Chevron, San Ramon, USA snair@chevron.com Management of risk to personnel and the environment in a major accident hazard (MAH) facility like offshore oil and gas production is a well acknowledged priority. Identification of the hazards, evaluating the potential for harm, analysis and implementation of the risk mitigation measures aCand safeguard stewardship are key for effective risk management. Facility siting and layout is arguably the most influential design feature, but it can be problematic to get due regard in risk management during later design phases. Decisions on facility siting and layout are made during early design engineering phases and such decisions have the highest impact on the inherent risk profile of a MAH facility. This paper talks through a systematic approach for effectively utilizing layout in managing risk through establishing a layout philosophy, layout reviews. This paper shares experience in utilizing technology (including enhanced QRA and 3D models) to determine engineered solutions for managing risk and risk-based decision making. It includes examples from recent oil and gas projects where concept selection and initial stages of engineering have considered risk-based approach for location selection, equipment selection, orientation and segregation, building siting and other options. The paper will demonstrate how a risk-based approach to facility siting provides an inherently safer design to minimize the reliance on add-on safety barriers. Key words: facility siting and layout, quantitative risk assessment, risk management, safeguard stewardship, inherently safer design 1. Introduction Managing Major Accident Hazards (MAHs) is fundamental to safe operations. Decision makers, leaders, design engineers involved in the engineering / project development of a MAH facility like oil and gas industry, onshore and offshore, has a part to play in managing these hazards. It is key to understand what a MAH is, how they are identified, and how they are mitigated. Successful MAH management establishes safeguards through systematic risk assessments (as a part of design process) and sustained safeguards (through inspection, testing, maintenance and appropriate management of changes). In spite of the improvements made by the high hazard industries over the past decades, many major accidents resulting in multiple fatalities and significant environmental damage have happened. Lessons learned from some of the major accidents (Table 1) highlight the significance of site selection and layout as a safeguard in preventing or mitigating the consequences of incidents. This paper shares experience in establishing siting and layout as a safeguard category and how it can be applied in major capital projects for MAH facilities. The concept and application techniques are explained with examples from recent oil and gas projects. DOI: 10.3303/CET1977003 Paper Received: 4 October 2018; Revised: 18 May 2019; Accepted: 10 July 2019 Please cite this article as: Nair S., Salter J., 2019, Layout - A Cost Effective and Powerful Design Step in Risk Management, Chemical Engineering Transactions, 77, 13-18 DOI:10.3303/CET1977003 13