Snares to LOPA Action Items

Snares to LOPA Action Items

Glenn Rozmus, Dustin J. Smith, Dick A. Baum

Greater numbers of action items are being generated from the LOPA process as it becomes increasingly utilized as a method for risk evaluation.  The quantity and type of action items result from the combination of initiating events, conditional modifiers, and prescribed guidelines.  The quality of the inputs determines whether the action items will actually provide any additional safety benefit.  This paper presents issues to be aware of when generating a list of initiating events, evaluation of the initiating event severities, and the influence of conditional modifiers. Also, examples are given of changes to the quality and quantity of action items based upon the guidelines used for the LOPA study.  As a result, facility personnel will be better informed during the LOPA process and understand the effects of the inputs on the results.