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Scenario 4:
Headquartered in Barcelona, Spain, Solenco Energy is a renewable energy provider that operates several solar and wind farms across southern Europe. After experiencing periodic equipment failures and supplier delays that affected energy output, the company initiated a risk assessment in line with ISO 31000 to ensure organizational resilience, minimize disruptions, and support long-term performance.
A cross-functional risk team was assembled, including representatives from engineering, finance, operations, and logistics. The team began a structured and systematic review of the energy production process to identify potential deviations from intended operating conditions and assess their possible causes and consequences. Using guided discussions with prompts such as ''too high,'' ''too low,'' or ''other than expected,'' they explored how variations in system behavior could lead to operational disruptions or safety risks.
Based on the scenario above, answer the following question:
In Scenario 4, the team conducted a structured, systematic review of the energy production process to identify potential deviations from intended operating conditions and evaluate their possible causes and consequences. Which risk identification technique did they use?
The correct answer is B. Hazard and Operability (HAZOP) process. HAZOP is a structured and systematic risk identification technique that uses guide words such as ''too high,'' ''too low,'' ''more,'' ''less,'' or ''other than expected'' to identify deviations from intended operating conditions and analyze their causes and consequences.
In Scenario 4, the team explicitly used guided discussions with prompts like ''too high,'' ''too low,'' and ''other than expected,'' which directly corresponds to the HAZOP methodology. This technique is commonly used in engineering, energy, and process industries to identify operational hazards and performance deviations.
Scenario analysis explores plausible future situations rather than deviations in current processes. Human Reliability Analysis focuses on human error probabilities, which was not the primary focus here. The Delphi technique involves iterative expert surveys rather than structured deviation analysis.
From a PECB ISO 31000 Lead Risk Manager perspective, selecting appropriate risk identification techniques based on context and industry is critical. HAZOP is well suited for complex technical systems like energy production processes. Therefore, the correct answer is Hazard and Operability (HAZOP) process.