Bowtie risk management

Summary

How to build and use Bowtie Analysis, including methodology benefits, limitations and practical uses.

Bowtie analysis is an increasingly popular approach to help manage risk. The course provides a critical review of the method's benefits, limitations and practical uses, with hands-on practice at applying the technique.

At the core of bowtie analysis is a diagram with a hazard in the centre, with preventative and mitigative control measures (or “barriers”) shown either side. These barriers are positioned against threats and consequences, in order to show how a threat is controlled, or a consequence mitigated, thus giving an overall picture of how the risk is being managed. 

Who should attend?

Managers, engineers, operators, HSE advisors and risk management practitioners.

How will I benefit?

• Learn to analyse hazard scenarios by applying the bowtie method and designing a bowtie diagram
• Understand how to develop integrity assurance for bowtie barriers, e.g. in terms of  identifying  HSE-critical tasks and HSE critical systems or equipment
• Learn to devise risk acceptance criteria for hazards in bowtie

Key topics

• Introduction to risk assessment and bowties
• The bowtie method – what is a bowtie and how to build one
• Assuring barrier integrity
• Effectiveness and ALARP for bowties
• Benefits and practical uses of bowties
• Facilitating bowtie workshops 
• Bowtie software tools