Risk Assessment, 2nd Edition

Chapter 16 Risk Analysis and Management for Operation

16.1 Introduction

The previous chapters – both the text and many of the examples – are related to designing systems and to developing safe work processes. This is done to ensure that the new systems and processes will be safe when they are put into operation. This focus primarily supports the design and development process in order to minimize the long‐term risk.

We also need to make many decisions that influence risk after the design has been completed and operation has started. The systems need to be modified and adapted to new work processes, to correct failures, and to accommodate changing external influences. To make good decisions, input from risk analyses in the operational phase is needed. Recently, there has been a growing awareness that the risk analyses carried out to support design are not necessarily adequate for supporting operational decision‐making. Some examples of operational decisions are listed in Example 16.1 .

Several approaches for providing decision support have been proposed. Two main lines of development can be identified, both based on risk analyses:

1. (1) Use of risk indicators
2. (2) Operational risk analysis

An operational risk analysis is based on existing risk analysis methods but is adapted to provide better support for operational decisions. Use of risk indicators is based on a (limited) set of measurable quantities that can act as indicators of what the risk level is and thus indirectly ...