Hazard and Risk Basics

What are the Hazard and Risk basics? So, what is this risk analysis stuff all about? What is ‘risk’? How do you define or describe it? How do you measure it? When? Why? Who…?

In this free session, I explain the basic terms and show how they link together, and how we can break them down to perform risk analysis. I understand hazards and risks because I’ve been analyzing them for a long time. Moreover, I’ve done this for aircraft, ships, submarines, sensors, command-and-control systems, and lots of software!

Everyone does it slightly differently, but my 25+ years of diverse experience lets me focus on the basics. That allows me to explain it in simple terms. I’ve unpacked the jargon and focus on what’s important.  

This post is part of a series:

• Intro to System Safety Risk Assessment
• Start of System Safety Risk Assessment
• This post is SSRAP Module 1
• System safety risk analysis (SSRAP Module 2)

Topics: Hazard and Risk Basics

• Risk & Mishap;
• Probability & Severity;
• Hazard & Causal Factor;
• Mishap (accident) sequence; and
• Hazards: Tests & Example

Transcript: Hazard and Risk Basics

Let’s get started with Module One. We’re going to recap some Risk basics to make sure that we have a common understanding of risk. And that’s important because risk analysis is something that we do every day. Every time you cross the road, or you buy something expensive, or you decide whether you’re going to travel to something, or look it up online, instead.

You’re making risk analysis decisions all the time without even realizing it. But we need something a little bit more formal than the instinctive thinking of our risk that we do all the time. And to help us do that, we need a couple of definitions to get us started.

What is Risk?

First of all, what is Risk? It’s a combination of two things. First, the severity of a mishap or accident. Second, the probability that that mishap will occur. So it’s a combination of severity and probability. We will see that illustrated in the next slide.

We’ll begin by talking about ‘mishap’. Well, what is a mishap? A mishap is an event – or a series of events -resulting in unintentional harm. This harm could be death, injury, occupational illness, damage to or loss of equipment or property, or damage to the environment.

The particular standard we’re looking at today covers a range of different harms. That’s why we’re focused on safety. And the term ‘mishap’ will also include negative environmental impacts from planned events. So, even if the cause is a deliberate event, we will include that as a mishap.

Probability and Severity

I said that the definition of risk was a combination of probability and severity. Here we got a little illustration of that…

This is Module 1 of SSRAP

This is Module 1 from the System Safety Risk Assessment Program (SSRAP) Course. Risk Analysis Programs – Design a System Safety Program for any system in any application.

The full course comprises 15 lessons and 1.5 hours of video content, plus resources. It’s on pre-sale at HALF PRICE until September 1st, 2024. Check out all the free preview videos here and order using the coupon “Pre-order-Half-Price-SSRAP”. But don’t leave it too long because there are only 100 half-price courses available!

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