The Institution of Mechanical Engineers organises an annual seminar for engineers to discuss the technical, legal and regulatory challenges and share strategies to overcome them.
Ahead of this year’s seminar which focuses on the theme of emerging risks in engineering, we caught up with Mikela Chatzimichailidou, Professor in Design for Mobility, Health, People and Society, UCL Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering.
Read our interview with Mikela as she discusses her role and involvement with regards to safety and risk management, the challenges of applying and demonstrating ALARP, the risks that need to be considered with novel and emerging technologies, and why it is important for engineers to attend this event.
Q: Please briefly explain your role, involvement and experience with regards to safety and risk management
Mikela Chatzimichailidou (MC): I am a Professor at University College London Department of Civil Environmental and Geomatic Engineering where I teach and research system safety and integration, engineering impacts and social value. Before that, I worked as a consultant in big engineering firms, leading scopes within multidisciplinary teams, focusing on safety assurance and systems integration. Among other projects, my portfolio included HS2, Crossrail, California High Speed.
Q: What is the top challenge facing engineers and risk managers when applying and demonstrating ALARP?
MC: From my perspective, there are two major challenges: One is the integration of system safety and occupational safety as part of the same scope; in railways for example, CDM and CSMRA are considered separately, which can be problematic, especially when it comes to hazards that lie in the interfaces. The second one is safety being seen as a compliance exercise. This view not only underplays the importance of safety, it can also lead to adversities.
Q: What challenges do engineers need to factor in when considering risks associated with novel and emerging technologies?
MC: In view of the introduction of emerging technologies, engineers should acknowledge the fact that there are unknown unknowns that, in most cases, cannot be quantified. Learning how to be comfortable with non-quantifiable risks is something we, built environment professionals, need to considerably improve on.
Q: What developments are going on in your industry which will change your approach in the future?
MC: Automation and digitalisation in infrastructure offers a massive opportunity to mitigate known risks (e.g. safety, environmental, performance), but innovation also changes the risk profile of the systems we design and operate. We need to embrace change and update the tools we use. Most of our safety analysis techniques date back to the 40s-70s. We need to ask ourselves if today’s complexity can be managed by applying techniques and approaches introduced when the world used to be mechanistic and linear.
Q: What will you be presenting at the ALARP 2024 seminar and how will this benefit participants?
MC: I will be presenting a more recent hazard analysis technique (i.e. System-Theoretic Process Analysis) that takes a 21st century approach to complex socio-technical systems. My aim is to challenge current engineering thinking and introduce a more systemic perspective on safety.
Q: Which other speakers and presentations are you looking forward to hearing at the forthcoming seminar?
MC: I do not have a favourite. I truly believe in multidisciplinarity and I try to practice it as often as possible. This event offers this unique opportunity and so, I am looking forward to all speeches and informal conversations between sessions.
Q: Why is it important for engineers and safety practitioners to come together and share best practice?
MC: To challenge the status quo, learn from each other and broaden our own horizons. The world has evolved thanks to change, invention and interruption; the engineering community needs to embrace change and tackle new challenges together.
The ALARP 2024 seminar will be taking place on 24 September at the ICC in Birmingham.
Join this seminar to:
- Gain in-depth insights into ALARP methodologies employed in a range of safety-critical sectors – allowing the transfer of best practice
- Understand developments around the interpretation and application of ALARP
- Develop the knowledge and skills needed to successfully apply the ALARP principle to 21st century engineering challenges
- Mitigate and manage risks effectively to eliminate safety-critical events
- Reduce your exposure to regulatory and legal penalties by understanding expectations and meeting them fully
To book your place, please visit the event website.