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The Open University

Assessing risk in engineering, work and life

The Open University via OpenLearn

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Overview

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Risk is something that must be taken into account at all times when practising as an engineer. We accept risk as part of everyday life so there is a need to balance the risks of an activity against the benefits that it brings. This free course, Assessing risk in engineering, work and life, investigates how we can manage risks at work, in the home and in the wider community. Risk is tied in with accidents so it is vital to understand how accidents arise, how likely they are to occur and how they can be prevented. These subjects are all covered in this course.

Syllabus

  • Introduction
  • Learning outcomes
  • 1 Risk and why it is important
  • 1 Risk and why it is important
  • 1.1 Engineers and risk
  • 1.2 Evaluating risk
  • 1.3 Assessing risk
  • Example 1 Assessing risk
  • 2 Accidents
  • 2 Accidents
  • 2.1 Accident triangle
  • Deepwater Horizon
  • 2.2 Human error
  • 2.3 Analysing ‘incidents’
  • The Buncefield oil storage depot
  • 2.4 After the accident
  • 2.5 Risk perception
  • ALARP
  • Communicating risk
  • Example 2 Assessing the acceptability of risk
  • 3 Risk measurement and risk management
  • 3 Risk measurement and risk management
  • 3.1 Expressing probability
  • Example 3 Reading a logarithmic scale
  • 3.2 Calculating probability
  • Example 4 Probability of scoring an even number
  • Combining probabilities
  • Example 5 Combining two independent probabilities
  • Probability of failure
  • Series and parallel
  • Example 6 Calculating the probability of at least one event occurring
  • 3.3 Probability in everyday life
  • 3.4 Risk management
  • Example 7 Identifying stakeholders
  • Conclusion
  • References
  • Acknowledgements

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Reviews

5.0 rating, based on 1 Class Central review

4.5 rating at OpenLearn based on 21 ratings

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  • Anonymous
    This study prompts a deeper consideration of how seemingly minor events can cascade into significant failures, a concept vital for any engineering discipline. The methodologies for quantifying and managing risk, particularly the ALARP principle, are directly applicable to professional practice. Mastery of this material demonstrates to a potential employer a capacity for systematic, pre-emptive problem-solving and a commitment to fostering a robust safety culture, thereby mitigating operational, financial, and reputational exposure.
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