courses

Incident Investigation, Human Failure & Cause Tree Analysis

Location Delivered in-company

Date To be confirmed

Duration 1 day

Topic Safety

CPD Hours 7

In-company

Overview

This course aims to improve your process incident investigation skills by focusing on the key aspects of incident investigation:

  • the need to search for systemic failures
  • how to diagnose and address human failure
  • collecting evidence (in particular oral evidence)
  • identifying root causes using the Cause Tree Analysis technique.

The course uses case studies from real incidents to demonstrate the use of the SRK human error taxonomy and how to apply Cause Tree Analysis. It includes a workshop in which you will work in teams to develop a cause tree from a description of the evidence from an incident.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course, you will:

  • understand the multiple purposes of investigations
  • understand the causation 'domino theory' and the need to search for system failures
  • appreciate the different ways humans can fail and how investigations can address these
  • understand how to diagnose human error using the SRK model
  • understand the challenges in collecting evidence and how these can be addressed
  • understand how to apply the Cause Tree (root cause) Analysis technique.

Who will benefit

Managers, supervisors and engineers that have responsibilities for investigating process incidents or who are required to participate in investigations. The course is primarily designed for those with limited previous incident investigation experience.

What delegates say

"I enjoyed the blend of pre-read and online tutoring."
S Foster, Greenergy, UK

Course outline

  • The search for system failures
  • Why humans fail and how we can respond to human failure
  • Case study – human failure diagnosis and response
  • The challenge of evidence collection
  • Cause Tree (root cause) Analysis
  • Workshop – constructing a Cause Tree

In-company delivery

This course is available for in-company delivery, either on-site or online. Content can be tailored to your specific requirements. Request a quotation.

Contact Phone +44(0)1788 534496

Contact Email courses@icheme.org

request a quotation

Associated course

Human Factors in the Chemical and Process Industries, Module Two: Managing Human Failure

Learn how to manage human failure effectively to improve overall safety and business performance.

Nigel Bowker

Trainer

Nigel Bowker

BSc(Eng), ACGI, MBA, C Eng, FIChemE

After graduating from Imperial College in 1976 with a degree in chemical engineering, Nigel worked as a process engineer for two firms of design contractors (Stone and Webster and Davy Powergas) and later worked for Shell Expro.

In 1986, he joined BP where he worked for the next 22 years. His career with BP included exploration and field development, production operations offshore (in Forties) and onshore (in the Forties Pipeline System), internal audit and health, safety and environment. His final role was as HS&E Manager in supply chain management for the North Sea.

After taking early retirement from BP, Nigel set up his own consultancy. He has provided a range of services to clients including process engineering, audit, process safety and occupational safety. He now specializes in chairing HAZIDs and HAZOPs and is an accredited HAZOP chairman with BP.

Nigel is a fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers and is a former chairman of the IChemE’s Aberdeen Member Group.

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