Lecture 17

PROFESSIONAL ETHICS
Safety and Risk
Assessment of Safety and Risk
Risk Benefit Analysis
Reducing Risk

Course Code: 316

BTech Final Year
Course Instructor: Dr. K M RAO
Safety
Safety was defined as the risk that is known and judged as
acceptable
A product or a project is safe, with respect to a person or a
group, at a given time, if its risks were fully known, and if
the risks were judged to be acceptable.
Awareness and maintenance of this situation is called safety.
The safety can be incorporated during design, pre-testing,
operation, field application, analog tests, learning from the
past or others.
Ethical engineering involves improving the design of every-day products to
make them safer and more efficient.
 A civil engineer for instance, has to look at location, load, and environment
 Structural engineers study the likely damage to gain a better understanding
of geological faults and determine why structures fail.
 Engineers have to show greater concern for child safety for the location of
switches, windows, car seats, airbags etc.
 Ergonomists dealing with anything involving people, take into account
anatomy, physiology, and psychology to make working and life more
comfortable.
 Ergonomic products include specially designed chairs with footrests, glare
reduction on computer monitors and gel wrist supports to reduce carpal
tunnel syndrome
 Risk
Risk is a potential that something unwanted and harmful may occur. It is the
result of an unsafe situation, sometimes unanticipated, during its use
Any work which might lead to harm and is not considered safe, can be
understood as a risk.
“A risk is the potential that something unwanted and harmful may occur.”
Determining Risk
1. Destructive testing: In this approach, testing is done till the component
fails. It is too expensive, but very realistic and useful.
2. Prototype testing: In this approach, the testing is done on a proportional
scale model with all vital components fixed in the system. Dimensional
analysis could be used to project the results at the actual conditions.
3. Simulation testing: With the help of computer, the simulations are done.
The safe boundary may be obtained. The effects of some controlled input
variables on the outcomes can be predicted in a better way.
Analysis using the fact that physical quantities added to
or equated with each other must be expressed in terms
of the same fundamental quantities (such as mass,
length, or time) for inferences to be made about the
relations between them.
Assessment of Safety and Risk
A risk assessment is an important step in protecting your workers and your
business, as well as complying with the law
The law does not expect you to eliminate all risk, but you are required to
protect people as far as ‘reasonably practicable’
You are legally required to assess the risks in your workplace so that you
put in place a plan to control the risks
Risk assessment is the determination of quantitative or qualitative
estimate of risk related to a well-defined situation and a recognized threat
(also called hazard)
Assessment of Safety and Risk
It encompasses thorough examination of the entire work
environment, processes and equipment to determine any
hazard to the health of the employees in the short or long
term and implementing remedies
A risk assessment is simply a careful examination of
what, in your work, could cause harm to people, so that
you can weigh up whether you have taken enough
precautions or should do more to prevent harm
RISK ANALYSIS
 Risk analysis is a multi-step process aimed at mitigating the impact of
risks on business operations. Leaders from different industries use risk
analysis to ensure that all aspects of the business are protected from
potential threats. Performing regular risk analysis also minimizes the
vulnerability of the business to unexpected events.
 Riskassessment is just one component of risk analysis. The other
components of risk analysis are risk management and risk
communication.
 Risk management is the proactive control and evaluation of risks while
risk communication is the exchange of information involving risks.
Unlike risk analysis, risk assessment is primarily focused on safety and
hazard identification.
Types of Risk Analysis
Risk Benefit Analysis
 A risk benefit analysis involves weighing the pros and cons (benefits and
risks) of an action. It helps leaders decide on whether or not they should
pursue that action. Choosing to pursue a risk-heavy action can result in
having to pay more for insurance or a greater insurance premium.
Needs Assessment
A needs assessment is a systematic process of identifying and evaluating
organizational needs and gaps. It gives leaders an idea of where the
business may be lacking and helps them refocus resources towards
achieving goals more efficiently.
Business Impact Analysis (BIA)
A business impact analysis entails planning for operational
disruptions caused by natural disasters and other external factors. It
is the basis for investment in recovery, prevention, and mitigation
strategies.
Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA)
A failure mode and effects analysis is a systematic method of
anticipating potential failures in business processes and mitigating
their impact on customers. It improves product and service
reliability and reduces the cost of failures.
Root Cause Analysis (RCA)
A root cause analysis focuses on identifying and eliminating root
causes to solve problems. It helps in the prevention of recurring
problems by targeting the ineffective systems behind them.
 Risk Analysis Methods
There are two main risk analysis methods.
1. Qualitative risk analysis rates or scores risk based on
perception of the severity and likelihood of its
consequences.
2. Quantitative risk analysis, calculates risk based on available
data.
3. Types of risk analysis included in quantitative risk analysis
are business impact analysis (BIA), failure mode and effects
analysis (FMEA), and risk benefit analysis.
Business Impact Analysis
A business impact analysis (BIA) is a detailed look at the potential threats
an organization faces. It evaluates the effect a financial, natural or
business disaster would have on the daily operations of the business and
its ability to continue being profitable in the long term. BIA functions
under the assumption that each area of the business is dependent on the
others but some are more important to prioritize during disaster recovery.
A business impact analysis allows you to:
 Determine which resources are necessary to continue business
functionality at the least possible output
 Determine how long your business can remain viable without full
functionality
Failure Mode Effects Analysis (FMEA)
Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) is a structured method of
determining equipment functions and functional failures as well as assessing
the causes of failures and their failure effects. It is a step-by-step method for
identifying all possible failures in a design, a manufacturing or assembly
process, or a product or service.
FMEA is a universal tool that can be used in any industry or service where
risk of failure or corrosion has detrimental effects on the users of a product,
process or service.
The purpose of the FMEA is to take actions to eliminate or reduce failures,
starting with the highest-priority ones.
FMEA is a core task in reliability engineering, safety engineering and quality
engineering.
Risk-Benefit Analysis
A risk-benefit analysis is a comparison between the risks of a situation and its benefits.
The goal is to figure out whether the risk or benefit is most significant.
Risk-benefit analyses are useful for everyone. Most of us make our decisions fairly
subconsciously. By actually thinking about the risks and benefits, we can make better
decisions about our lives. To complete a risk-benefit analysis, there are four main pieces
of information you need:
What are the risks?
How likely are the risks to happen?
What are the benefits?
How likely are the benefits to happen?
Reducing risks
10 Easy Rules to Reduce Risks on Projects:
1. Identify the risks early on in your project
2. Communicate about risks
3. Consider opportunities as well as threats when assessing risks
4. Prioritize the risks
5. Fully understand the reason and impact of the risks
6. Develop responses to the risks
7. Develop the preventative measure tasks for each risk
8. Develop the contingency plan for each risk
9. Record and register project risks
10. Track risks and their associated tasks
THANK YOU