Lopa Layer Of Protection Analysis Through Worked Examples

Learn essential LOPA principles and best practices to achieve safer chemical plants and make defensible risk decisions

What you'll learn

Place LOPA within RBPS/PSM and decide when it’s the right tool for a scenario

Build scenarios, define initiating events, and assign credible base frequencies

Test safeguards against IPL criteria and assign defensible PFDs with evidence

Apply enabling conditions and conditional modifiers without double counting

Calculate unmitigated/mitigated frequencies and compare to risk tolerances

Document a complete, auditable LOPA sheet with clear assumptions and bases

Identify design or reliability improvements to close gaps to risk targets

Communicate results to stakeholders and integrate actions into MOC and OPEX

Prepare confidently for Certified LOPA Practitioner exams with targeted practice

Requirements

Basic chemical/process engineering literacy

Familiarity with P&IDs and PFDs

Prior HAZOP or PHA exposure is helpful

Prior Functional Safety or SIL assessment exposure is helpful

Recommended: take our PHA course titled "Chemical Process Hazards Analysis with OSHA Safety Standards"

Recommended: take our Functional Safety course titled "Master Functional Safety: SIS Design and SIL Calculations"

Recommended: take our BPCS course titled "Process Control & Instrumentation 16 Hour Masterclass"

Description

This course contains the use of artificial intelligence.–-Elevate your process safety decisions with a rigorous, practice-ready program dedicated to Layer of Protection Analysis (LOPA).This course gives you the tools, language, and discipline to turn complex scenarios into clear, defensible risk judgments that align with your organization’s criteria. You will learn where LOPA fits in the process safety lifecycle, when to use it, and how to apply the method step by step—from selecting scenarios and defining Initiating Events (IEs), to assigning credible Probabilities of Failure on Demand (PFDs), applying Enabling Conditions (ECs) and Conditional Modifiers (CMs), and determining whether risk targets are met.Across the curriculum, we demystify what truly qualifies as an Independent Protection Layer (IPL) by drilling into Independence, Functionality, Integrity, Reliability, Auditability, Access Security, and Management Of Change (MOC).You will see how LOPA connects with Risk-Based Process Safety and PSM systems, how IPL performance is sustained through proof testing and asset integrity, and how to document a complete, auditable LOPA summary sheet that stands up to internal and external scrutiny. Realistic polymerization case studies, worked examples, and guided practice ensure you can replicate the workflow on your own facilities.This program has been designed and delivered by an experienced instructor who is both a CCPS-Certified Process Safety Professional (CCPSC) and a TÜV Certified LOPA Practitioner. Expect a crisp method, transparent assumptions, and evidence-based decision-making you can immediately apply in design reviews, MOC assessments, and operational risk evaluations.By the end, you will be able to quantify residual risk with confidence, identify the right safeguards, and communicate recommendations that win alignment from engineers, operators, and leadership.Enroll now and build LOPA competency that is technically sound, practical, and trusted.Master the Standards. Achieve Certification. Protect LivesWR Training - Your trusted learning providerSpread the wings of your knowledge

Overview

Section 1: Introduction to the Layer Of Protection Analysis (LOPA)

Lecture 1 Section 1: Learning objectives

Lecture 2 What is risk?

Lecture 3 What is LOPA? (part 1)

Lecture 4 What is LOPA? (part 2)

Lecture 5 LOPA elements

Lecture 6 When to use LOPA?

Lecture 7 What is LOPA? (part 3)

Lecture 8 A brief heads-up on the upcoming videos

Lecture 9 The Bhopal disaster

Lecture 10 Prevention Layer #1 - Plant and processes

Lecture 11 Prevention Layer #2 - Basic Process Control Systems (BPCS)

Lecture 12 Prevention Layer #3 - Alarm systems

Lecture 13 Prevention Layer #4 - Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS)

Lecture 14 Prevention Layer #5 - Physical protection

Lecture 15 Mitigation Layer #6 - Physical containment

Lecture 16 Mitigation Layer #7 - Scrubbers and flares

Lecture 17 Mitigation Layer #8 - Fire and gas systems

Lecture 18 Mitigation Layer #9 - Internal emergency plan

Lecture 19 Mitigation Layer #10 - External emergency plan

Lecture 20 Considerations on protection levels

Lecture 21 LOPA in process safety management systems

Lecture 22 How to develop a scenario for LOPA?

Lecture 23 Revisiting the layers of protection (prevention and mitigation)

Lecture 24 The concepts of frequency and probability in LOPA

Lecture 25 The Initiating Event (IE)

Lecture 26 Failure rates

Lecture 27 Initiating Event Frequencies (IEF)

Lecture 28 Consequence severity

Lecture 29 A LOPA worked example

Lecture 30 Before you proceed to the next section

Section 2: Independent Protection Layers (IPLs)

Lecture 31 Section 2: Learning objectives

Lecture 32 Important notes

Lecture 33 Independence

Lecture 34 Functionality

Lecture 35 Integrity

Lecture 36 Reliability

Lecture 37 Auditability

Lecture 38 Access security

Lecture 39 Management of Change (MoC)

Lecture 40 About the LOPA worked example

Lecture 41 Worked example: Process description

Lecture 42 Worked example: LOPA scenarios

Lecture 43 Worked example: Assessing "Functionality"

Lecture 44 Worked example: Assessing "Independence"

Lecture 45 Worked example: Assessing "Auditability"

Lecture 46 Before you proceed to the next section

Section 3: Enabling Conditions (EC) and Conditional Modifiers (CM)

Lecture 47 Section 3: Learning objectives

Lecture 48 Enabling Conditions (EC)

Lecture 49 Conditional Modifiers (CM)

Lecture 50 Integrating Enabling Conditions (EC) and Conditional Modifiers (CM)

Lecture 51 A LOPA wroked example

Lecture 52 Before you proceed to the next section

Section 4: Documentation for a LOPA study

Lecture 53 Section 4: Learning objectives

Lecture 54 LOPA summary sheet

Lecture 55 Consequence

Lecture 56 Risk Tolerance Criteria

Lecture 57 Initiating Event (IE)

Lecture 58 Enabling Condition (EC)

Lecture 59 Conditional Modifiers (CM)

Lecture 60 Frequency of Unmitigated Consequence

Lecture 61 Independent Protection Layers (IPLs)

Lecture 62 Safeguards (non-IPLs)

Lecture 63 Frequency of Mitigated Consequence

Lecture 64 Risk Tolerance Criteria met ?

Lecture 65 Actions required to meet Risk Tolerance Criteria

Lecture 66 Notes & References

Lecture 67 LOPA documentation and action tracking

Lecture 68 Before you proceed to the next section

Section 5: LOPA Worked examples

Lecture 69 Section 5: Learning objectives

Lecture 70 Scenario 1: Loss of cooling water

Lecture 71 Scenario 2: Failure of BPCS level regulation

Lecture 72 Scenario 3: Failure of BPCS temperature regulation

Lecture 73 Scenario 4: Failure of agitator seal

Lecture 74 Final Exam Announcement

Section 6: Downloadable resources

Lecture 75 Download me

Engineers, operators, and technical managers in industry,PHA/HAZOP participants needing quantified risk decisions,Process safety specialists standardizing LOPA practice,I&C and SIS engineers managing alarms, BPCS, and SIFs,Reliability/maintenance leaders supporting IPL testing,Early‑career engineers seeking a solid LOPA foundation,Experienced practitioners refining IPL/PFD justification,Candidates preparing for Certified LOPA Practitioner