Bow-Tie Analysis: The Modern, Fast and Easy to Use Risk Analysis Methodology

The concept of cause-consequence analysis is a combination of the inductive and deductive reasoning of logic diagrams (e.g., event-tree analysis or fault-tree analysis). The method has been used to identify the basic causes and consequences of potential accidents. Likewise, bow-tie diagramming provides a pictorial representation of the risk assessment process that, during the last decade, has become increasingly popular, especially in the sector of oil and gas offshore exploration and production sector. Because of their unparalleled advantages in demonstrating that major hazards are identified and controlled, bow-tie diagrams are widely used in Europe and Australia to support safety reports and health, safety, and environment (HSE) cases for drilling and greenfield major hazard facility onshore projects. Other applications have been reported for healthcare, nuclear, transport, and organizational culture.

Incorporating management system techniques
 

The bowtie method of analysis is a qualitative analysis incorporating management system techniques. The bowtie has become popular as a structured method to assess risk where a quantitative approach is not possible or desirable. The success of the diagram is that it is simple and easy for the non-specialist to understand. The idea is a simple one of combining the cause (fault tree) and the consequence (event tree). When the fault tree is drawn on the left-hand side and the event tree is drawn on the right-hand side with the hazard drawn as a "knot" in the middle, the diagram looks a bit like a bowtie, as shown.

The five days, basic and advanced, Bow-Tie Analysis Training Course is specially designed to demonstrate the risk-based approach in the Oil & Gas Industry Projects and will explore how the bow-tie model would fit in the risk management process for upstream, Midstream and downstream projects and facilities, and it shares a representative Bow-Tie case study application in making engineering controls operational.

• Preventing major incidents by managing barriers: Understanding the causes of major incidents using Bow-Tie models of risk management
• Assuring plant performance: Safety critical elements and performance standards, Process safety performance indicators, Verification schemes.
• Assuring people performance: Safety-critical roles & competencies, Human factors.
• Assuring process performance: Process safety management framework, Audit, and management review.
• Reducing risk to ALARP: Risk assessment process, as low as Reasonably Practicable concept, Leadership, and culture.