Principles of Risk Management

At the end of the course you should be able to:
1. Deconstruct the risk management process into its constituent components
2. Contrast key risk management terms such as “hazard”, “consequence” and “risk”
3. Evaluate the various drivers which cause organisations to manage risk
4. Demonstrate expertise in academic referencing (postgraduate programme only)

Outline
– Drivers for risk management
– Definitions and terminology
– Elements of the risk management process
– Demonstration of ALARP
– Example tools, techniques and studies
– The HSE case (or safety case) and HSE management system
– Leadership, culture and behaviours
– Causes of major accidents

The Risk Analysis module is available as a general or industry specific module, with the student selecting one from:
– Risk Analysis
– Risk Analysis for Nuclear Energy
– Risk Analysis for Clean Energy

Research Methods

At the end of the course you should be able to:
1. Communicate findings in an accepted format
2. Assess previous research completed in a subject area
3. Critically appraise research data and assimilate, integrate and discuss in a logical way
4. Demonstrate compliance with appropriate ethical standards related to any research undertaken
5. Produce an appropriate project description and specification

Outline
– Study skills review
– Introduction – why do research?
– Defining the research problem
– Literature search and review techniques
– Research methodologies including statistical techniques, questionnaires and interviewing
– Project analysis and design
– Ethics in research
– Project planning
– Time management
– Gantt charts
– Presentation skills

Risk Analysis

At the end of the course you should be able to:
1. Logically deduce the most appropriate risk assessment tool or technique to be used, depending on circumstances
2. Apply certain risk assessment techniques
3. Critically review example risk assessments and techniques

Outline
– Identifying and recording hazards
– The risk assessment matrix
– Risk analysis and risk reduction through project or facility lifecycle
– Significance of environmental aspects; environmental risk assessment
– Human factors in design
– Health risk assessment (HRA)
– Security risk assessment
– Business and/or commercial risk assessment
– Quantitative risk assessment (QRA) techniques
– Safety Integrity Level (SIL) assessment
– Layers of Protection Analysis (LOPA)
– External hazards, good practice in risk analysis

Hazard Identification

At the end of the course you should be able to:
1. Assess the role of hazard identification in the risk management process
2. Critically review the tools and techniques available to carry out effective hazard identification at each lifecycle stage
3. Design a fit-for-purpose hazard identification study

Outline Content
– Basic concepts
– Overview of hazard identification techniques
– Hazard identification through the project lifecycle
– Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA)
– Hazard and Operability (HAZOP) studies
– HAZID/checklist approach
– HAZID versus HAZOP
– Making recommendations

Risk Analysis for Nuclear Energy

At the end of the course you should be able to:
1. Logically deduce the most appropriate risk assessment tool or technique to be used, depending on circumstances
2. Apply certain risk assessment techniques
3. Critically review example risk assessments and techniques

Outline
– Identifying and recording hazards
– The risk assessment matrix
– Risk analysis and risk reduction through project or facility lifecycle
– Significance of environmental aspects; environmental risk assessment
– Human factors in design
– Health risk assessment (HRA)
– Security risk assessment
– Business and/or commercial risk assessment
– Quantitative risk assessment (QRA) techniques
– Safety Integrity Level (SIL) assessment
– Layers of Protection Analysis (LOPA)
– External hazards, good practice in risk analysis

HSE Management Systems

At the end of the course you should be able to:
1. Discuss the key factors to be considered when developing an HSE MS
2. Assess the role of HSE MSs in reducing the probability and consequences of major accidents
3. Examine issues associated with the implementation of HSE MSs

Outline
– Definition of an HSE MS
– Elements of an HSE MS
– Guidance and legislation
– Implementation aspects
– Documenting and implementing the HSE MS

Risk Analysis for Clean Energy

At the end of the course you should be able to:
1. Logically deduce the most appropriate risk assessment tool or technique to be used, depending on circumstances
2. Apply certain risk assessment techniques
3. Critically review example risk assessments and techniques

Outline
– Identifying and recording hazards
– The risk assessment matrix
– Risk analysis and risk reduction through project or facility lifecycle
– Significance of environmental aspects; environmental risk assessment
– Human factors in design
– Health risk assessment (HRA)
– Security risk assessment
– Business and/or commercial risk assessment
– Quantitative risk assessment (QRA) techniques
– Safety Integrity Level (SIL) assessment
– Layers of Protection Analysis (LOPA)
– External hazards, good practice in risk analysis

Risk Reduction & ALARP

At the end of the course you should be able to:
– Identify different options available for risk reduction
– Decide when risk reduction measures can best be used
– Describe the concepts of “tolerability of risk” and “As Low As Reasonably Practicable (ALARP)”
– Apply the ALARP concept and conduct an ALARP assessment to an appropriate level of detail

Outline
– Risk management summary
– Hierarchy of risk reduction measures
– Risk reduction through the project lifecycle
– The ALARP concept
– Demonstrating ALARP
– Qualitative and semi-quantitative approaches
– Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA)
– Societal risk

Bowtie Risk Management

At the end of the course you should be able to:
1. Analyse hazard scenarios by applying the bowtie method and designing a bowtie diagram
2. Develop integrity assurance for bowtie barriers
3. Devise risk acceptance criteria for hazards in bowties

Outline
– Introduction to risk assessment and bowties
– The bowtie method
– Assuring barrier integrity
– Effectiveness and ALARP for bowties
– Benefits and practical uses of bowties
– Facilitating bowtie workshops
– Bowtie software tools

The Safety/HSE Cases module is available as a general or industry specific module, with the student selecting one from:

Human Factors in Design & Operations

At the end of the course you should be able to:
1. Analyse the role of HF in systems engineering in order to achieve safe and effective designs, systems and processes
2. Evaluate the human characteristics which influence a user’s experience of the workplace environment to ensure it is comfortable, healthy, safe and effective (accounting for physical 3. and psychological capabilities and limitations)
4. Evaluate human error types (including violation) and their potential causes
5. Appraise human reliability and performance using appropriate methods in order to develop measures to reduce the likelihood of human error

Outline
– Introduction to Human Factors
– Human Factors integration (HFI)
– Human Factors support to the design lifecycle for high hazard industries
– Defining human error
– Human error and violations
– Human Reliability Analysis (HRA)

Safety/HSE Cases

At the end of the course you should be able to:
1. Critically review the reasons for having Safety Cases and the role of the Safety Case
2. Justify the contents of a Safety Case
3. Discuss the key factors to be considered when planning a Safety Case

Outline
– Historical drivers
– Legal requirements: UK, Europe, worldwide
– Company and industry body requirements
– Differing types of case by project phase (e.g. PSR, PCSR, design, operational, decommissioning)
– Safety Case structure and approach by industry
– Bridging documents
– Links between the case and supporting studies and the case and the management system
– Documentation, management and maintenance of the Safety Case
– Roll-out and implementation
– Features of a fit-for-purpose Safety Case

Incident Investigation & Analysis

At the end of the course you should be able to:
1. Demonstrate a thorough grounding in the underlying theories behind accident cause analysis
2. Apply the investigation and analysis process to determine the sequence of events and the causes of an incident
3. Critically analyse published incident and accident reports including the recommendations

Outline
– Introduction
– Immediate actions in the event of an accident
– Planning the investigation
– Collecting data
– Data organisation/analysis
– Corrective actions
– Concluding the analysis

Nuclear Energy Safety/HSE Cases

At the end of the course you should be able to:
1. Critically review the reasons for having Safety Cases and the role of the Safety Case
2. Justify the contents of a Safety Case
3. Discuss the key factors to be considered when planning a Safety Case

Outline
– Historical drivers
– Legal requirements: UK, Europe, worldwide
– Company and industry body requirements
– Differing types of case by project phase (e.g. PSR, PCSR, design, operational, decommissioning)
– Safety Case structure and approach by industry
– Bridging documents
– Links between the case and supporting studies and the case and the management system
– Documentation, management and maintenance of the Safety Case
– Roll-out and implementation
– Features of a fit-for-purpose Safety Case

HAZOP Study

At the end of the course you should be able to:
1. Critically review the HAZOP technique and examples of output
2. Analyse how the HAZOP technique can be applied at the different stages of a project’s lifecycle such as FEED, detailed design, revalidation and decommissioning
3. Prepare for a HAZOP workshop, determine the skills and actions necessary to lead a HAZOP and how to generate a HAZOP report

Outline
– Introduction to risk assessment
– Basic engineering terminology
– Process safety incidents – lessons learned
– HAZOP: what, when, how, guidewords and parameters, nodding, teams, roles and responsibilities
– Recording methods, software, reporting and close-out
– Overview of the LOPA technique
– Major HAZOP studies, minor modification studies
– Common failings in HAZOPs, Limitations of HAZOPs
– Leading HAZOP teams
– Other forms of HAZOP: procedures, batch operations

Clean Energy Safety/HSE Cases

At the end of the course you should be able to:
1. Critically review the reasons for having Safety Cases and the role of the Safety Case
2. Justify the contents of a Safety Case
3. Discuss the key factors to be considered when planning a Safety Case

Outline
– Historical drivers
– Legal requirements: UK, Europe, worldwide
– Company and industry body requirements
– Differing types of case by project phase (e.g. PSR, PCSR, design, operational, decommissioning)
– Safety Case structure and approach by industry
– Bridging documents
– Links between the case and supporting studies and the case and the management system
– Documentation, management and maintenance of the Safety Case
– Roll-out and implementation
– Features of a fit-for-purpose Safety Case

Emergency Response & Crisis Management

At the end of the course you should be able to:
1. Define the requirements and importance of Emergency and Crisis Response Management
2. Discuss aspects of integrated emergency management
3. Generate appropriate emergency and crisis response documentation

Outline
– Emergency management basics
– Emergency anticipation and assessment
– Emergency prevention and mitigation
– Emergency preparations – planning, organisation, training, documentation, mutual aid, drills & exercises, etc.
– Emergency response and recovery
– Crisis management overview

The MSc project comprises a dissertation of approximately 15,000 words. The project is selected in consultation with Risktec and requires the student to justify the project’s objectives and development plan. Risktec guides the student in selecting a state-of-the-art topic in risk and safety management that is of real interest to current and prospective employers. The student liaises with an industrial (Risktec) supervisor throughout the project.