courses

Layer of Protection Analysis (LOPA)

Topic Process safety

CPD Hours 11.5

Online | Face-to-face | In-company

Overview

This course will develop your understanding of the Layer of Protection Analysis (LOPA) methodology and how to apply it. LOPA is a semi-quantitative tool used for analysing and assessing risk on a process plant which uses an order of magnitude technique to evaluate the adequacy of existing or proposed layers of protection against known hazards.

The course will help you understand how significant scenarios are categorised and tolerable frequencies assigned for identified hazardous events. You will also learn to assign risk categories and determine how many Independent Protection Layers (IPLs) should be in place. The course also covers the specification and requirements for a protection layer to be accepted as an IPL.

All the essential LOPA steps are practised in workshops, including the use of software tools. Course materials include LOPA research papers, reference materials and further reading.

Course outline

Concept, purpose and principles of LOPA
LOPA methodology (selecting scenarios, the LOPA process, describing scenarios, estimating initiating event frequencies, independent protection layers and their reliability)
LOPA study and documentation
Advanced aspects
Facilitating a LOPA study
Responsibilities and challenges

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course you will understand:

the LOPA methodology and how to apply it
how to decide if a process needs a safety instrumented system (SIS)
what safety integrity level (SIL) is required
how to define an Independent Protection Layer (IPL)
how to implement a process to manage these systems through the life cycle of an installation
how to lead a LOPA study.

Who will benefit

Process safety engineers
Loss prevention specialists
Production engineers
Process design engineers
Project engineers
Process programmers
Instrument control designers
Anyone responsible for leading a LOPA study

What delegates say

“I enjoyed the course. It offered a good balance of theory and practical. I enjoyed the practical application elements which really helped reinforce my learning.”
M Rivera, Santos, Australia

"Resources for the course are excellent and videos helped me understand and run through it multiple times at my own pace."
K Natarajan, AirProducts, UK

"The worked examples helped highlight common mistakes and nuances with the LOPA method."
A Campher, Johnson Matthey, UK

"Course structure with prerecorded materials followed by online live sessions made for a very efficient use of time."
E O'Raghaill, DPS Group, Ireland

"I liked the structured approach and I enjoyed the course. I learnt a lot from Nigel. Nigel is very accommodating and his many years of experience comes through as he explains concepts and approaches. Well delivered course. Highly recommend."
I Wood, Exolum, UK

"Exactly the required information for me to carry out LOPA activities."
P Gow, Mexichem, UK

"Great to have the recorded versions as reference, very helpful. Paul clearly had a wealth of experience and was able to share this well with the group."
J Cleary, Croda, UK

"All of a sudden, the whole concept came together as an 'aha'."
T Hughes, Hughes Consultancy and Research, UK

"I found the real-life examples very useful to aid understanding."
P Nash, Natural Resources Wales, UK

"The theory and principles were covered very well and the worked examples enabled me to put them into practice."
S Allan, Johnson Matthey, UK

Upcoming courses

Online

Online courses consist of three live and interactive modules with the trainer. There will also be some work to complete independently before the course and between the live sessions. More details will be provided after you have registered.

From 4 February 2025

Module 1–4 February 2025, 10:00–13:00 GMT
Module 2–7 February 2025, 10:00–13:00 GMT
Module 3–12 February 2025, 10:00–13:00 GMT

From 29 April 2025

Module 1 – 29 April 2025, 09:00–12:00 AWST/MYT / 11:00–14:00 AEST / 13:00–16:00 NZST
Module 2 – 30 April 2025, 09:00–12:00 AWST/MYT / 11:00–14:00 AEST / 13:00–16:00 NZST
Module 3 – 2 May 2025 2024, 09:00–12:00 AWST/MYT / 11:00–14:00 AEST / 13:00–16:00 NZST

From 14 May 2025

Module 1 – 14 May 2025, 14:00–17:00 BST
Module 2 – 20 May 2025, 14:00–17:00 BST
Module 3 – 23 May 2025, 14:00–17:00 BST

Live sessions are delivered via Microsoft Teams. If you don't already have this installed, you can join as a guest in order to access the training.

Please note: this course uses example spreadsheets that do not display correctly on a Mac computer. You are therefore strongly advised to use a Windows-based PC to access the course.

Face-to-face

22–23 January 2025, Rugby, UK
20–21 March 2025, Manchester, UK
12–13 June 2025, Reading, UK
19–20 June 2025, Brisbane, Australia
6–7 October 2025, Boksburg, South Africa
23–24 October 2025, Manchester, UK
27–28 November 2025, Teesside, UK

Not available then?

Fees – book early and save 20%

Book any live online or face-to-face training course before 31 January 2025 and SAVE 20%! Simply use discount code EARLY20 at checkout.

IChemE member £1,850 + VAT / AU$3,610 + GST / 8,140 R
Non-member £2,200 + VAT / AU$4,300 + GST / 8,640 R

Terms and conditions: offer applies to live online or face-to-face course bookings made between 2 December 2024 and 31 January 2025. Applies to both member and non-member prices but cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer eg multi-place discounts. Registration must be confirmed and paid by 31 January 2025.

How to register

Select your preferred course from the list of upcoming start dates and go to the 'Book course' button at the bottom of the page.

More than one person to train?

Multi-place discounts

Discounts are available to companies booking more than one place. Bookings must be made at the same time to receive the discount.

2 places – 10% discount
3 places –15% discount
4 or more places – 20% discount

In-company training

This course can be delivered to corporate teams, either on-site or online. This could be a cost-effective option if you have several people requiring the training. Content can be tailored to your specific requirements. Request a quotation.

Attendance certificate & CPD hours

An e-certificate will be issued at the end of the course to confirm attendance and CPD hours logged. Please note that you must attend the whole course to receive the certificate.

In the case of online courses, CPD hours should be used as an approximate guide and will vary depending on the preferred approach of the delegate and to what extent additional learning is completed.

For participants in Malaysia, this course has been awarded 8 CPD hours by the Board of Engineers Malaysia.