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Quest Training

Bow-Tie Risk Analysis Training Course

Teaches Bow-Tie analysis to map threats, top events and consequences, and to assess the preventive and mitigative barriers that control major hazards.

PSRM · Process Safety & Operational Risk ManagementAll Levels#2769ClassroomEnglish , Arabic
Duration
5 Days
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Free substitution at any time · 30+ days' notice: full refund minus 10%. Cancellation policy

Sectors:Health, Safety, Environment & SustainabilityCategories:Process Safety & Operational Risk Management

Course Overview

This course provides practical knowledge of the Bow-Tie Risk Analysis methodology, a structured approach to identifying major hazards, analyzing potential risk scenarios, and understanding the relationship between threats, top events, consequences, and preventive and mitigative barriers. It focuses on applying Bow-Tie analysis to operational risk management, process safety, and the prevention of major incidents. Participants explore how to identify hazards and top events, determine credible threats and consequences, evaluate existing control measures, and assess the effectiveness of preventive and mitigative barriers. The programme also addresses barrier ownership, performance standards, control weaknesses, and the integration of Bow-Tie analysis into risk registers, safety management systems, and operational decision-making. Practical exercises enable participants to develop Bow-Tie diagrams for realistic operational scenarios, evaluate barrier effectiveness, identify control gaps, and establish improvement actions that strengthen risk management and operational safety.

Learning Objectives

  • Explain the principles, structure, and applications of Bow-Tie Risk Analysis.
  • Distinguish between hazards, threats, top events, consequences, and risk scenarios.
  • Identify credible threats and potential consequences associated with hazardous activities.
  • Develop Bow-Tie diagrams using a systematic risk analysis approach.
  • Identify preventive and mitigative barriers and evaluate their effectiveness.
  • Assess barrier weaknesses, escalation factors, and factors that could compromise control effectiveness.
  • Establish barrier performance standards, ownership, and monitoring requirements.
  • Integrate Bow-Tie analysis with risk assessments, HAZID, HAZOP, and other risk management methods.
  • Prioritize risk reduction measures based on barrier performance and consequence severity.
  • Apply Bow-Tie analysis to process safety, occupational safety, and operational risk scenarios.
  • Develop action plans to address barrier deficiencies and improve risk control.
  • Use Bow-Tie diagrams to support communication, incident prevention, and management decisions.

Who Should Attend

This course is designed for HSE managers, process safety engineers, risk management specialists, operations managers, maintenance engineers, asset integrity professionals, safety officers, incident investigators, and personnel responsible for identifying hazards and managing operational risks. It is particularly relevant to professionals working in oil and gas, petrochemicals, refining, power generation, manufacturing, mining, construction, utilities, and other high-risk industries where effective barriers are essential to preventing major incidents, protecting personnel, safeguarding assets, and reducing environmental consequences.

Learning Outcomes

  • Define hazards, threats, top events, consequences, and escalation factors within the Bow-Tie methodology.
  • Construct Bow-Tie diagrams for selected operational and process safety scenarios.
  • Identify and classify preventive and mitigative barriers.
  • Evaluate barrier adequacy, independence, reliability, and effectiveness.
  • Identify weaknesses and escalation factors that could undermine critical controls.
  • Assign barrier ownership and establish performance monitoring arrangements.
  • Determine appropriate performance standards and verification activities for critical barriers.
  • Link Bow-Tie analysis findings to risk registers and operational control procedures.
  • Recommend proportionate risk reduction measures based on identified control gaps.
  • Apply Bow-Tie analysis to incident prevention and investigation.
  • Communicate major accident risks and critical controls through clear visual diagrams.
  • Develop an action plan for maintaining and improving barrier effectiveness.

Course Outline

Day 1

Bow-Tie Methodology Fundamentals and Risk Management Principles

  • Principles, purpose, and applications of Bow-Tie Risk Analysis.
  • Relationship between hazard identification, risk assessment, and barrier management.
  • Key Bow-Tie components: hazard, top event, threats, consequences, and barriers.
  • Distinguishing between threats, initiating events, top events, and harmful outcomes.
  • Understanding preventive barriers and mitigative barriers.
  • Relationship between Bow-Tie analysis and other risk assessment techniques.
  • Applications in process safety, occupational safety, environmental risk, and asset protection.
  • Selecting scenarios for Bow-Tie analysis based on risk significance.
  • Reviewing incident histories and identifying relevant loss-of-control scenarios.
  • Practical Exercise: Select a hazardous operational scenario and define its hazard, top event, credible threats, and potential consequences.
Day 2

Threat Identification, Top Events, and Consequence Analysis

  • Identifying hazardous activities, substances, equipment, and operating conditions.
  • Defining top events as the point at which control over a hazard is lost.
  • Identifying credible initiating threats and their underlying causes.
  • Analyzing potential consequences to personnel, assets, the environment, and business continuity.
  • Evaluating normal, abnormal, and emergency operating conditions.
  • Identifying common-cause failures and conditions that increase risk exposure.
  • Establishing the relationship between threats, top events, and consequences.
  • Assessing existing safeguards and identifying gaps in risk control.
  • Prioritizing threats and consequences according to their significance.
  • Practical Exercise: Develop a threat and consequence analysis for a selected industrial scenario and establish the basis for a Bow-Tie diagram.
Day 3

Developing Bow-Tie Diagrams and Evaluating Barriers

  • Structuring the Bow-Tie diagram and defining the central top event.
  • Mapping threats and preventive barriers on the left side of the diagram.
  • Mapping consequences and mitigative barriers on the right side.
  • Identifying engineering, operational, procedural, and organizational barriers.
  • Evaluating barrier suitability, independence, reliability, and availability.
  • Distinguishing critical barriers from supporting controls.
  • Identifying escalation factors that could weaken barrier performance.
  • Defining measures to prevent escalation and maintain barrier effectiveness.
  • Reviewing barrier interactions, dependencies, and potential failure modes.
  • Documenting assumptions, limitations, and supporting evidence.
  • Practical Exercise: Construct a complete Bow-Tie diagram for a process safety or operational risk scenario and review the adequacy of the identified barriers.
Day 4

Critical Control Management, Performance Standards, and Assurance

  • Identifying critical controls and determining their importance to risk prevention.
  • Establishing barrier ownership and accountability.
  • Defining measurable performance standards for critical barriers.
  • Establishing verification, inspection, testing, and maintenance requirements.
  • Monitoring barrier availability, reliability, and operational effectiveness.
  • Identifying control degradation and conditions that could lead to barrier failure.
  • Integrating barrier management into maintenance and operational procedures.
  • Linking Bow-Tie findings to risk registers, safety-critical elements, and assurance programmes.
  • Developing corrective actions for ineffective or missing barriers.
  • Reporting critical control performance and escalating deficiencies.
  • Practical Exercise: Develop performance standards and verification requirements for selected critical barriers, including responsibilities, monitoring methods, and corrective actions.
Day 5

Practical Applications, Risk Reduction, and Continuous Improvement

  • Applying Bow-Tie analysis to major accident hazards and high-risk operational activities.
  • Using Bow-Tie diagrams to support management of change and operational planning.
  • Integrating Bow-Tie analysis with HAZID, HAZOP, LOPA, and other risk assessment methods.
  • Applying Bow-Tie analysis to incident investigation and lessons learned.
  • Reviewing barrier failures and identifying opportunities to strengthen risk controls.
  • Prioritizing improvement actions based on risk significance and barrier effectiveness.
  • Communicating Bow-Tie results to management, operators, contractors, and other stakeholders.
  • Establishing arrangements for reviewing and updating Bow-Tie diagrams.
  • Maintaining alignment between risk assessments, operational controls, and actual site conditions.
  • Developing a practical implementation plan for Bow-Tie analysis and critical control management.
  • Final Workshop: Develop and present a complete Bow-Tie analysis for a selected high-risk scenario, including threat identification, consequence analysis, preventive and mitigative barriers, escalation factors, barrier performance standards, control gaps, and a prioritized risk reduction action plan.

Upcoming Dates

Selected date

Amsterdam · 8 – 12 Mar 2027 · Classroom

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IstanbulScheduled
2 – 6 Nov 2026€4,700—
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JeddahScheduled
8 – 12 Nov 2026€4,200—
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KigaliScheduled
9 – 13 Nov 2026€5,100—
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Kuala LumpurScheduled
16 – 20 Nov 2026€4,400—
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LisbonScheduled
23 – 27 Nov 2026€5,400€4,860until 2 Nov
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LondonScheduled
30 Nov – 4 Dec 2026€5,600€5,040until 9 Nov
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MadinahScheduled
7 – 11 Dec 2026€4,200€3,780until 16 Nov
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MadridScheduled
14 – 18 Dec 2026€5,400€4,860until 23 Nov
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MakkahScheduled
21 – 25 Dec 2026€4,200€3,780until 30 Nov
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ManamaScheduled
21 – 25 Dec 2026€4,700€4,230until 30 Nov
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MarbellaScheduled
28 Dec 2026 – 1 Jan 2027€5,400€4,860until 7 Dec
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MilanScheduled
4 – 8 Jan 2027€6,000€5,400until 14 Dec
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MuscatScheduled
11 – 15 Jan 2027€5,300€4,770until 21 Dec
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OnlineScheduled
17 – 21 Jan 2027€1,700€1,530until 28 Dec
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ParisScheduled
25 – 29 Jan 2027€5,700€5,130until 4 Jan
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RiyadhScheduled
1 – 5 Feb 2027€4,200€3,780until 11 Jan
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Sharm El-SheikhScheduled
8 – 12 Feb 2027€4,300€3,870until 18 Jan
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RomeScheduled
8 – 12 Feb 2027€5,800€5,220until 18 Jan
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ViennaScheduled
15 – 19 Feb 2027€5,700€5,130until 25 Jan
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AbujaScheduled
22 – 26 Feb 2027€5,100€4,590until 1 Feb
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AccraScheduled
1 – 5 Mar 2027€5,100€4,590until 8 Feb
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AmsterdamScheduled
8 – 12 Mar 2027€5,400€4,860until 15 Feb
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BarcelonaScheduled
15 – 19 Mar 2027€5,400€4,860until 22 Feb
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CairoScheduled
22 – 26 Mar 2027€3,300€2,970until 1 Mar
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Cape TownScheduled
22 – 26 Mar 2027€5,100€4,590until 1 Mar
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DammamScheduled
29 Mar – 2 Apr 2027€4,200€3,780until 8 Mar
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DohaScheduled
5 – 9 Apr 2027€4,400€3,960until 15 Mar
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DubaiScheduled
11 – 15 Apr 2027€4,400€3,960until 22 Mar
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GenevaScheduled
19 – 23 Apr 2027€6,300€5,670until 29 Mar
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HamburgScheduled
26 – 30 Apr 2027€5,800€5,220until 5 Apr
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