Bowtie analysis in ship inspections
Ship inspections are crucial in the maritime industry for risk management and reducing accidents. The objective is to ensure operational and asset integrity to prevent maritime accidents. The catastrophic events of the Erika and the MSC Napoli incidents highlight the importance of effective inspections for maintaining ship safety. Risk-based methodologies, like bowtie analysis, are gaining popularity for controlling risks and evaluating the effectiveness of inspections.
Why use a bowtie diagram and analysis?
Bowtie risk analysis involves the concept of safety barriers, which include physical, technical, and human factors designed to prevent, control, or mitigate undesired events or accidents. The bowtie diagram provides a clear visual overview of threats, the central event, and its potential consequences. It can also be used retrospectively, such as in incident analysis. By visualising the incident in a bowtie, the threats, preventive and mitigating measurers are visualised. Which can be used to further improve the risk management system.
The benefits of a bowtie analysis
Using bowtie analysis can be beneficial for its visual strength and for showing the connection between causes and consequences. Additionally, it integrates operational, organisational, and technical elements into one representation, making bowtie diagrams a useful tool to maintain an up-to-date, real-time risk management system. In the maritime industry, bowtie analysis can uncover risk-contributing factors that have not yet been discovered such as a ship collision.
Click here to see ship collision bowtie in OpenRisk bowtie tool.
By using bowtie analysis and diagrams, maritime stakeholders can identify underlying causes and resulting consequences of accidents associated with inspection issues. Bowtie diagrams provide insights into the role of insufficient inspection practices in the development of maritime accidents and the severity of the resulting consequences.
A bowtie analysis offering a detailed and visual approach to understanding and managing risks. It enhances the ability to uncover potential hazards, evaluate inspection effectiveness, and ensure safer maritime operations.
Read more here for practical case studies using bowtie analysis for learning about how omissions in ship inspections can lead to accidents.
References:
