This is the earliest stage in a project lifecycle, where the project is being developed and evaluated. At this point, you may know for example how much of the product you need to make, but not necessarily the exact process route. This is the point at which different options are being evaluated, and there is the greatest scope to make changes to improve safety and productivity.

Questions this project phase aims to answer include:

• Economic Feasibility – What is the demand for the product likely to be, and hence what is the required manufacturing capacity? Can the product be made profitably at that scale?
• Practical Feasibility – Are there any practical barriers to carrying out the process. E.g. is the catalyst available in sufficient quantities, and are all raw materials readily available?
• Safety Feasibility – Are there any major safety concerns with the chosen process which may cause significant issues or give rise to an unacceptable risk?
• Legal Framework and Constraints – What legislation, regulations or good practice standards must the project follow? For example, do the COMAH Control of Major Accident Hazards regulations apply, and which environmental impact assessments are needed?

The costs of making a change to the process at this stage are at their lowest (and indeed often produce capital savings). Hazard Study 0 (inherent safety evaluation) and Hazard Study 1 (initial safety review) are carried out at this stage.

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