Last Updated | S012022 |
MSR501
Unit Name | INTRODUCTION TO SYSTEM SAFETY AND RISK MANAGEMENT |
Unit Code | MSR501 |
Unit Duration | 1 Term (online) or 1 Semester (on-campus) |
Award |
Graduate Diploma of Engineering (Safety, Risk and Reliability) Duration: 1 year Master of Engineering (Safety, Risk and Reliability) Duration: 2 years |
Year Level | One |
Unit Creator / Reviewer | Raj Sreenevasan / Arti Siddhpura |
Core/Elective: | Core |
Pre/Co-requisites | Nil |
Credit Points |
3 Grad Dip total course credit points = 24 (3 credits x 8 (units)) Masters total course credit points = 48 (12 credits (Thesis) + 3 credits x 12 (units)) |
Mode of Delivery |
Online or on-campus. Combination of modes: Online synchronous lectures; asynchronous discussion groups, videos, remote and cloud-based labs (simulations); web and video conferencing tutorials. High emphasis on personal and group self-study. |
Unit Workload |
Total student workload including “contact hours” = 10 hours per week: Lecture – 1 hour Tutorial - 1 hour Practical / Lab - 1 hour (if applicable) Personal Study recommended - 7 hours |
Unit Description and General Aims
System Safety can be defined in simple language as “organised common sense [George Mueller]”. It is a planned, disciplined and systematic approach to identifying, analysing, eliminating and controlling hazards by analysis, design and management procedures throughout a system’s life cycle. System Safety starts at the earliest concept development stages and continues through the design, production, testing, operational use and disposal stages. Risk Management on the other hand aims to control an existing or an emerging process, policy, device that acts to minimize negative risk or enhance positive opportunities. It is accepted that all risks cannot be eliminated completely i.e., there will be some residual risk. Risk assessments aim to determine how much risk remains and then to make convincing arguments for accepting the residual risk or reduced reliability (e.g. excessive cost to ensure 100% supply reliability as compared to reasonable cost to ensure 98% supply reliability, and understanding when the difference between 98% and 100% is trivial or vital). “We all know that safety should be an integral part of the systems that we build and operate. The public demands that they are protected from accidents and the following consequences, yet the two main constituents – industry and government – do not always know how to reach this common goal”.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this Unit, students are expected to be able to:
On successful completion of this Unit, students are expected to be able to:
1. Evaluate history and evolution of Safety
Bloom’s Level 5
2. Interpret various safety terminology
Bloom’s Level 5
3. Perceive safety analysis for various industries
Bloom’s Level 5
4. Evaluate various risk assessment methodologies and models
Bloom’s Level 5
5. Criticize Safety Management System and disasters from the past
Bloom’s Level 5
6. Determine hazards for various systems and sub-system
Bloom’s Level 5
7. Compare and critique various safety analysis techniques and understand government regulations
Bloom’s Level 5
Student assessment
Assessment Type |
When assessed |
Weighting (% of total unit marks) | Learning Outcomes Assessed |
Assessment 1 Type: Multi-choice test (Proctored) Word length: n/a Topic: All material covered in the syllabus to date. Assessing history and safety terminology. |
After Topic 3 | 15% | 1, 2 (Topic 1, 2, 3) |
Assessment 2 Type: Mid-semester test (Proctored) Example Questions: “What is the difference between hazard and risk.? Why is safety analysis important? How can we analyse safety in chemical process industries?” |
After Topic 6 | 25% | 2, 3, 4 (Topic 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) |
Assessment 3 Type: Case Study on Safety analysis or Risk assessment or Safety Management System or Hazard analysis and presentation Allocation of weighting: 15% - Report 5% - Presentation (Presentations to take place during Topic 12 tutorial)
Word length for Report: 1500 Develop, assemble and synthesise appropriate engineering and management elements within a major case study of safety analysis. |
After Topic 9 | 20% | 4, 5, 6 (Topic 6, 7, 8) |
Assessment 4 Type: Safety and Risk Management Related Report (Final Project) Word length: 2500 Example Topics: Analyse and report on a major ongoing accident investigation in relation to the existing Safety Management System and corresponding Regulatory Authority’s Safety oversight Compare and contrast Safety Life Cycles and Safety Management Systems adopted by different industries in your country Shortcomings of existing Safety Management Systems in preventing inconvenience to the public |
After Topic 12 | 35% | All |
Attendance |
Continuous | 5% | All |
Prescribed and Recommended readings
Suggested Textbook
N. J. Bahr, System Safety Engineering and Risk Assessment – A practical approach, 2 nd edition, CRC Press, 2014
Reference Materials
Number of peer-reviewed journals and websites (advised during lectures).
Some examples are listed below.
- N. G. Leveson, System Safety Engineering, MIT
- IDC notes and Reference texts as advised.
- Other material advised during the lectures
Unit Content
One topic is delivered per contact week, with the exception of part-time 24-week units, where one topic is delivered every two week.
Topic 1
Introduction to Safety Engineering and Risk management
1. Why do we need Safety Engineering? (A brief review of Safety performance and Safety goals and how it has evolved over time)
2. Brief history of Safety
3. What is Safety Analysis?
4. System Safety and Risk Assessment
5. Government safety regulations vs. Industry’s safety point of view
Topic 2 and 3
Defining terminology and Concepts
1. Makeup of an accident
2. How ‘safe is safe enough’?
3. What is Hazard and Risk?
4. System Safety vs. Safety Management System
5. System Safety Process
6. Hazard Reduction
7. Safety Maturity Model
8. Leading and Lagging Safety Performance Indicators
9. Standards in Safety – Government / Industry / Regional / International
Topic 4 and 5
Safety Analysis – How is it used (and potentially not used) in different industries?
1. Manufacturing
2. Consumer Products
3. Chemical Process
4. Oil and Gas
5. Aviation
6. Mass Transit – Impact on pedestrians and natural environment
7. Military and Space
8. Commercial Nuclear Power
Topic 6
Risk Assessment
1. What is ‘Risk’, ‘Risk Perception’ and ‘Risk vs. Dread’
2. Risk Assessment Methodology, identifying risk in a system and communicating issues of control, safety, residual risk and maximum reasonable exposure to stakeholders.
3. Risk Evaluation Models – qualitative vs. quantitative, deterministic vs. stochastic, probabilistic, risk analysis model, developing accident scenarios and initiating events, event trees, risk profiles, consequence determination, uncertainty
4. Calculating Safety Costs
Topic 7 and 8
Safety Management System (SMS)
1. System Life Cycle
2. Developing a robust Safety Management System – elements of a SMS, organisational management and safety
3. System Safety Program
4. Operational System Safety Plans and Procedures
5. Closed-loop Process SMS
6. Safety Governance
7. Safety Culture
8. Lessons from the Titanic, and Costa Concordia, a repeat nearly 100 years later showing a lack of a safety culture
Topic 9
Hazard Analysis
1. Methodology
2. Preliminary Hazard list
3. Hazard analysis – System and sub-systems
4. Facility Hazard analysis
5. Operations Support Hazard analysis
Topic 10
Other Analysis Techniques
1. Process Safety Analysis – PHA, HAZOP, What-if Analysis
2. Safety check-lists
3. Fault tree Analysis
4. Human Factors Safety Analysis
5. Software Safety Analysis
6. Energy Trace Barrier Analysis
7. Cause and Consequence Analysis
8. Root Cause Analysis
9. Bow-Tie Analysis
10. Dispersion Modelling
11. Job Task Analysis/Job Safety Analysis
Topic 11
Government regulations and Safety oversight
1. Safety regulatory oversight covering key components and different regulatory oversight models
2. Safety oversight functions and governance – safety service delivery, crisis management, safety policy, audits and compliance, risk management, accreditation, safety promotion, independent accident investigation boards and common mistake is government oversight programs
Topic 12
Presentation and Unit Review
In the final week, students will prepare and present the main findings of their case study as part of Assessment 3. They will also have an opportunity to review the contents covered so far. Opportunities will be provided for a review of student work and to clarify any outstanding issues. Instructors/facilitators may choose to cover a specialized topic if applicable to that cohort.
Software/Hardware Used
Software
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Software: N/A
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Version: N/A
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Instructions: N/A
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Additional resources or files: N/A
Hardware
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