BOW-TIE ANALYSIS

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 Bow-Tie Analysis
What is the Bow Tie Model ?
A ‘Bow-Tie’ is a graphical representation of the pathways from the
causes of an event or risk to its consequences. The diagram is shaped
like a bow-tie, creating a clear differentiation between reactive risk
management and proactive

How does Bow Tie Analysis work?

Bow tie analysis is of mostly used for risks that pose elevated levels of
risk, and specifically those with high consequences. It describes the
risk as some happenings that subsequently leads to a consequence.

Approach / Methodology
The bow-tie diagram helps you to gain an insight in complex processes
through oversight. This objective is always leads ahead of others and
can therefore overrule the guidelines if necessary. The objective to keep
an understandable diagram always over weighs the intention to be
analytically correct.

There are eight basic steps in building a bowtie

diagram. They are as follows:
Identify hazard: – The first step in managing risks is to identify what
their sources are.
Identify top event:-When we know what is potentially hazardous, we
need to know how we could lose control over it.
Identify threats: – Next we need to consider the scenarios or events
which could directly cause the occurrence of the top event.
Evaluate consequences:-After the top event occurs, subsequent
scenarios or events are now possible. These consequences can lead to
losses and damage.
 Identify preventive barriers:- The next step is to identify the
barriers which should prevent the threats from reaching or causing
the top event. These are preventative barriers.
Identify recovery barriers:-Barriers on the right side try to recover
from the occurrence of the top event. These barriers should prevent
or alleviate the consequences and/or the resulting losses and
destruction.
Identify escalation factors: – The next step is to identify the specific
situations or conditions under which the barriers are less or not
effective.
Identify escalation factor barriers:-The last step is to look at what
barriers you have to prevent or manage these escalation factors.

Now with the escalation factors in place, our complete diagram is as

follows:

Bow-tie Diagram

Now the diagram can be completed with more information over each
barrier:
 Determining the barrier type.
Which parts of the management system support the barrier, such
as procedures, policies, standards, etc.?
Who is responsible for the correct functioning of each barrier?
Assessing barrier effectiveness.

This study is done by a team which usually comprises of the following:

Design consultant / Project Manager

Production Manager
Chemical engineer / Chemist
Maintenance Manager
Electrical Engineer
Instrument Engineer
Quality Control Engineer
HSE Representative, etc.

Within the team, a lead facilitator should be nominated to lead the study.
The lead facilitator should be a competent and experienced person in the
conduct of the Bow-tie study.

How do you use a Bow Tie Risk assessment?

Step 1
Bow Tie Risk assessment starts in between the hazard and the Event that
you are looking to examine. It shall be written in simple English language
to ensure that everyone understands what they are trying to examine.

Step 2
To the left hand side plot the potential causes or threats that will lead to
the event happening, This would span things that are almost certain to
happen to things that are not sure to happen.
Step 3
To the right-hand side plot all the consequences that would occur if
the event associated to the hazard was to occur, and so there will be a
span of them to consider

Step 4
Go through the logical flow of the chart and think about the potential
threat that happens, then this event associated with the hazard may
happen and the consequences plotted may happen. If that is logical,
then you have things set right, if you doesn’t feel right then it’s not a
actual cause or consequence

Now counter measures or Controls & Mitigation steps can be initiated.

Step 5
Starting on the right hand side, for each cause what control measures
could be initiated so as to prevent the particular possible cause from
occurring. Many controls can be initiated for each cause to avoid it
from happening. For each control it can be ranked as High risk,
Medium risk, or Low risk based on its effectiveness in being able to
prevent the possible cause from happening.

Step 6
Repeat the process at the right-hand side, with the preventive steps
that can be had if the event occurs and that will eventually restrict or
stop the possible output or consequences from being impacted.

Step 7
For each Controls and preventive steps it is necessary to add the safety
critical actions that needs to occur to support them. To ensure that the
control and preventive measures in demanding situations, the
following should be practiced in Policies, Procedures and Job
description
 1. The actions to be taken to keep the control or preventive measures
happening
2. The Concerned person to do these actions.

Step 8
In this Final Step review and find the listed equipment. As these items
are safety critical equipment. Prioritize based on their Function,
performing capability, availability, and survivability.

Bow Tie Risk Analysis example

A hazard is something that is able to intend harm or initiate an Event,
for that to occur something must happen to permit the hazard to
happen and the event take place. For instance a glass plate placed on
the top most shelf shall be the hazard, the event is that the glass plate
falls from the shelf, the threat or the thing that could cause shall be
something striking the shelf making it to wobble, As a consequence it
drops upon someone or something, and also it damages everything in
the Glass plate and so on.

What is the advantages of using the Bow Tie

Assessment?
The advantages of Bow-Tie assessment include, but not limited to:

Provides a structure to analyze a hazard systematically.

Helps make a decision to check the current level of control is
sufficient (or, for those who are familiar with the concept, whether
risks are As Low as Reasonably Practicable or ALARP).
Helps to identify where and how investing resources would have
the greatest impact.
Increases risk communication and awareness.
What is a Bow Tie Barrier model?
Barriers appear on both sides as top event. Barriers on the left side
break in the situation so that the threats does not happen, and if it
happens, they do not result in loss of the top event. Barriers on the
right side ensures that if the top event is attained, the situation does
not surge into an actual effect such as consequences and/or they
prevent the effect.

There are various types of barriers, that are mainly a mix of human
behavior, with or without the interference of hardware and
technology. When the barriers are detected, a common understanding
of how risks are tackled is obtained. Analyze the barrier structure to
identify the strength and weakness. For barrier effectiveness, Barriers
can be categorized and evaluated. As this makes us understand how
efficiently a barrier conducts, or is expected to conduct, depending on
available data and/or depending on judgment. Later, all activities
mentioned can be analysed, to implement and sustain the barriers.
This eventually means mapping the Safety Management System with
the Barriers. Also it can be decided about the concerned person
responsible for a barrier and evaluate the criticality of a barrier based
on other related information.

Technical Challenge:
It is not enough to simply identify risks they must also be managed,
analysed, evaluated, monitored, and communicated to be managed:
analyzed, evaluated, monitored and communicated. Bow-Tie risk
management is a scenario-based management tool which helps
Process Safety M to accomplish these tasks and to answer questions
like: “Where we are most exposed to risk?”, “are we equipped with
enough (or too many!) Safety measures in place?”, “are our safety
measures actually performing the way we have in view?”

This is a risk assessment method. The bow-tie method helps to

analyze and communicate how high-risk scenarios develops.
Software Requirement
This is a risk assessment method. The bow-tie method helps to analyze
and communicate how high-risk scenarios develops.

Deliverables
Bow-Tie ToR
Bow-Tie Worksheets
Bow-Tie Analysis Report
Thanks
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