This one-day online training provides a practical introduction to health and safety in anaerobic digestion and biogas projects for a global audience. It focuses on understanding where hazards can arise across the project lifecycle and how risks can be reduced through good design, structured risk thinking, and effective operational practices. 

The course avoids country-specific legislation and instead emphasises universal safety principles, engineering logic, and practical decision-making. Participants are introduced to risk-thinking tools ranging from simple “what if?” approaches to formal methodologies such as HAZOP, illustrated with real-world examples from biogas projects in different contexts. 

By the end of the course, participants will be better equipped to recognise hazards, think systematically about risk, and support safer design, construction, commissioning, and operation of biogas facilities. 

09:00 – 09:20
Welcome, objectives and course structure (20 min)

Focus

• Welcome and introductions
• Purpose and scope of the training
• What the course covers – and what it does not (not a legal compliance course)
• How to participate, ask questions and use the day effectively

09:20 – 10:20 (60 min)
Lecture 1 | Understanding Hazards in Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas Systems 

Focus
Building awareness of where hazards exist in anaerobic digestion and biogas systems, and why understanding them is essential for safe projects and operations. 

Core topics 

• What anaerobic digestion involves in practice (process reality vs theory) 

• Typical hazards present in AD and biogas facilities

• Biogas composition (methane, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulphide) 

• Toxicity and asphyxiation risks 

• Explosive atmospheres 

• Confined spaces 

• Biological hazards (animal by-products, pathogens) 

• Mechanical and moving equipment 

• Why incidents occur when hazards are misunderstood or underestimated 

• Difference between a hazardous situation and unsafe operation 

Learning outcome
Participants are able to identify common hazards in AD and biogas systems and understand why structured safety management is necessary, without viewing the industry itself as inherently unsafe. 

10:20 – 10:35 – Q&A + coffee break (15 min) 

10:35 – 11:35 (60 min)
Lecture 2 | Designing Safety In: Eliminating Risks Before the Plant Is Built 

Focus
Understanding how design decisions have the greatest influence on health and safety outcomes throughout the life of a biogas project. 

Core topics 

• Safety by design and inherent safety principles 

• Site selection and external risks (flooding, access, neighbours, climate) 

• Layout and zoning: 

• Separation of people and vehicles 

• Hazardous vs operational vs administrative areas 

• Process safety fundamentals

• Pressure management and layered safeguards 

• Ventilation and gas dispersion 

• Explosive atmospheres (ATEX) as a design consideration, not paperwork 

• Designing out work at height and confined space entry 

Learning outcome
Participants understand how early design choices can eliminate or significantly reduce risks, making later operational safety easier and more robust. 

11:35 – 11:50 – Coffee break (15 min) 

11:50 – 12:50 (60 min)
Lecture 3 | Thinking About Risk: From “What If?” to HAZOP 

Focus
Introducing practical risk-thinking tools used in biogas projects, from simple approaches to more formal methodologies. 

Core topics 

• Hazard vs risk vs control (clear, practical definitions) 

• Likelihood and consequence 

• Hierarchy of controls and ALARP principle 

• Informal tools: 

• “What if?” analysis 

• Task-based risk assessment 

• Formal tools

• HAZID 

• HAZOP – purpose, structure, and limitations 

• Typical inputs (PFDs, P&IDs, layouts) 

• Common misunderstandings about HAZOP 

Learning outcome
Participants can understand and apply appropriate levels of risk assessment, recognising when simple tools are sufficient and when formal studies are needed. 

12:50 – 13:50 – Lunch break (60 min) 

13:50 – 14:50 (60 min)
Lecture 4 | Construction and Commissioning: Managing Risk During Change 

Focus
Exploring why construction and commissioning phases require particular attention to health and safety. 

Core topics 

• Why risk increases during construction and start-up 

• Interfaces between client, EPC/EPCM, contractors and subcontractors 

• Typical construction hazards: 

• Traffic management 

• Excavations 

• Lifting operations 

• Hot works 

• RAMS: purpose and practical value 

• Commissioning hazards: 

• Introduction of biogas 

• Temporary configurations 

• Testing under abnormal conditions 

Learning outcome
Participants understand why accidents often occur during construction and commissioning and how structured planning and coordination reduce those risks. 

14:50 – 15:05 – Coffee break (15 min) 

15:05 – 16:05 (60 min)
 Lecture 5 | Operating Safely: People, Procedures and Emergency Response 

Focus
Translating safe design and planning into day-to-day operational safety. 

Core topics 

• Typical operational hazards: 

• Gas releases 

• Confined spaces 

• Maintenance activities 

• Abnormal operation 

• Competence, training and fatigue management 

• Standard operating procedures and safe systems of work 

• Emergency preparedness: 

• Fires, gas leaks, explosions and injuries 

• First response principles 

• Communication and coordination 

• Learning from incidents and near misses 

• Safety culture versus paperwork 

Learning outcome
Participants are able to recognise the key elements of effective operational H&S management and emergency preparedness in AD and biogas plants. 

 
16:05 – 16:35
Final Q&A and discussion (30 min) 

• Open questions from participants 

• Reflection on key themes 

• Discussion of real-world challenges in different contexts 

16:35 – 17:00
Wrap-up and closing (25 min) 

• Key take-home messages 

• Reinforcing safety thinking across the project lifecycle 

• Closing remarks