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Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) Training Course

Explains how to build fault trees that work back from a top-level failure to show how component faults, human errors and external events combine.

RCAP · Root Cause Analysis & Problem SolvingAll Levels#2911ClassroomEnglish , Arabic
Duration
5 Days
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Free substitution at any time · 30+ days' notice: full refund minus 10%. Cancellation policy

Course Overview

Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) is a systematic risk assessment and reliability engineering technique used to identify how individual failures, component malfunctions, human errors, and external events can combine to cause an undesirable system outcome. By working backward from a defined top-level failure, FTA helps organizations understand the relationships between potential causes, evaluate system vulnerabilities, and strengthen preventive and protective controls. This course explores the principles and practical application of Fault Tree Analysis across engineering, industrial operations, maintenance, process safety, and risk management. Participants will learn to define top events, identify intermediate and basic events, construct fault tree diagrams, and apply logical relationships using AND and OR gates. The course also introduces qualitative and quantitative analysis, probability calculations, minimal cut sets, common-cause failures, and the use of reliability data to evaluate system failure scenarios. Through practical exercises and industry-based case studies, participants will develop the skills to construct and interpret fault trees, identify critical failure combinations, assess the probability of system-level failures, and prioritize risk reduction measures. The course emphasizes the integration of FTA with reliability engineering, safety assessments, incident investigation, and preventive maintenance to support safer and more dependable operations.

Learning Objectives

  • Explain the principles, applications, and limitations of Fault Tree Analysis.
  • Define top events and establish clear system boundaries for failure analysis.
  • Identify basic, intermediate, and undeveloped events within a fault tree.
  • Construct fault tree diagrams using standard symbols and logical gates.
  • Apply AND and OR gates to represent relationships between failure events.
  • Conduct qualitative analysis to identify critical failure combinations and system vulnerabilities.
  • Perform quantitative fault tree calculations using event probabilities and reliability data.
  • Identify minimal cut sets and evaluate their significance for system reliability.
  • Assess common-cause failures, human errors, and dependencies between components.
  • Develop risk reduction recommendations and integrate FTA findings into safety and reliability improvement plans.

Who Should Attend

Reliability engineers and maintenance professionals. Process safety and risk management specialists. Mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, and control engineers. Operations and production managers. Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) professionals. Asset integrity and engineering assurance specialists. Quality and operational excellence professionals. Industrial engineers and systems engineers. Incident investigation and technical risk assessment teams. Project engineers involved in system design, commissioning, and reliability improvement.

Learning Outcomes

  • Define system boundaries and top-level failure events for structured analysis.
  • Develop logical fault tree diagrams that represent potential failure pathways.
  • Differentiate basic events, intermediate events, and external initiating events.
  • Apply logical gates to model combinations of failures.
  • Identify minimal cut sets and determine critical combinations of events.
  • Calculate top-event probabilities using appropriate event probability assumptions.
  • Interpret fault tree results to identify dominant contributors to system failure.
  • Evaluate dependencies, common-cause failures, and limitations in available reliability data.
  • Recommend targeted preventive, protective, and corrective measures based on analysis findings.
  • Document FTA results in a structured report that supports engineering, safety, and management decisions.

Course Outline

Day 1

Fundamentals of Fault Tree Analysis and System Failure

  • Principles, objectives, and applications of Fault Tree Analysis.
  • The role of FTA in reliability engineering, process safety, and risk assessment.
  • Understanding system functions, failure modes, hazards, and undesired outcomes.
  • Defining top events, analysis scope, system boundaries, and operating conditions.
  • Differentiating basic events, intermediate events, and external events.
  • Understanding the relationship between FTA, Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA), and other risk assessment techniques.
  • Practical Exercise: Define a top event for a selected industrial system and identify the initial failure scenarios requiring investigation.
Day 2

Fault Tree Construction and Logical Relationships

  • Standard fault tree symbols, notation, and diagram structure.
  • Constructing fault trees from top events down to contributing causes.
  • Applying AND and OR gates to represent logical failure relationships.
  • Identifying component failures, human errors, environmental conditions, and support system failures.
  • Defining event independence, dependencies, and common-cause considerations.
  • Reviewing fault tree completeness, consistency, and logical accuracy.
  • Practical Exercise: Construct a fault tree for a simulated equipment or system failure using appropriate events and logical gates.
Day 3

Qualitative Analysis and Minimal Cut Sets

  • Principles of qualitative fault tree evaluation.
  • Identifying critical failure pathways and combinations of events.
  • Understanding minimal cut sets and their significance.
  • Evaluating single-point failures and combinations of component failures.
  • Identifying dominant contributors and potential weaknesses in system design.
  • Using qualitative findings to prioritize further investigation and risk reduction.
  • Practical Exercise: Analyse a completed fault tree, identify minimal cut sets, and rank the most significant failure combinations.
Day 4

Quantitative Fault Tree Analysis and Probability Calculations

  • Fundamentals of probability in system reliability analysis.
  • Estimating basic event probabilities using historical data, failure rates, and reliability records.
  • Calculating top-event probability for simple fault tree structures.
  • Applying probability rules to AND and OR gate configurations.
  • Understanding assumptions of event independence and the impact of dependent failures.
  • Interpreting quantitative results and assessing uncertainty in reliability data.
  • Practical Exercise: Calculate the probability of a top-level failure using a simplified fault tree and supplied event probability data.
Day 5

Risk Reduction, Reporting, and Practical FTA Applications

  • Using FTA results to identify high-priority risk reduction opportunities.
  • Evaluating preventive measures, protective barriers, redundancy, and design improvements.
  • Integrating FTA with maintenance strategies, reliability improvement, and safety management systems.
  • Using fault trees to support incident investigation and engineering design reviews.
  • Documenting assumptions, data sources, limitations, and analysis conclusions.
  • Preparing recommendations, action plans, and follow-up measures for identified failure risks.
  • Practical Exercise: Develop a fault tree analysis report that includes critical failure pathways, probability findings where applicable, recommended controls, and prioritized improvement actions.

Upcoming Dates

Selected date

Cairo · 6 – 10 Dec 2026 · Classroom

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CityDatesPrice per ParticipantEarly Bird
AmsterdamScheduled
9 – 13 Nov 2026€5,400—
BakuScheduled
16 – 20 Nov 2026€4,800—
BangkokScheduled
16 – 20 Nov 2026€6,100—
BarcelonaScheduled
23 – 27 Nov 2026€5,400€4,860until 2 Nov
BeirutScheduled
29 Nov – 3 Dec 2026€4,000€3,600until 9 Nov
CairoScheduled
6 – 10 Dec 2026€3,300€2,970until 16 Nov
Cape TownScheduled
14 – 18 Dec 2026€5,100€4,590until 23 Nov
CasablancaScheduled
21 – 25 Dec 2026€4,300€3,870until 30 Nov
DammamScheduled
27 – 31 Dec 2026€4,200€3,780until 7 Dec
DohaScheduled
3 – 7 Jan 2027€4,400€3,960until 14 Dec
DubaiScheduled
10 – 14 Jan 2027€4,400€3,960until 21 Dec
ErbilScheduled
10 – 14 Jan 2027€3,100€2,790until 21 Dec
IstanbulScheduled
18 – 22 Jan 2027€4,700€4,230until 28 Dec
JeddahScheduled
24 – 28 Jan 2027€4,200€3,780until 4 Jan
KigaliScheduled
1 – 5 Feb 2027€5,100€4,590until 11 Jan
Kuala LumpurScheduled
8 – 12 Feb 2027€4,400€3,960until 18 Jan
LisbonScheduled
15 – 19 Feb 2027€5,400€4,860until 25 Jan
MadinahScheduled
22 – 26 Feb 2027€4,200€3,780until 1 Feb
LondonScheduled
22 – 26 Feb 2027€5,600€5,040until 1 Feb
MadridScheduled
1 – 5 Mar 2027€5,400€4,860until 8 Feb
MakkahScheduled
8 – 12 Mar 2027€4,200€3,780until 15 Feb
ManamaScheduled
15 – 19 Mar 2027€4,700€4,230until 22 Feb
MarbellaScheduled
22 – 26 Mar 2027€5,400€4,860until 1 Mar
MuscatScheduled
29 Mar – 2 Apr 2027€5,300€4,770until 8 Mar
OnlineScheduled
4 – 8 Apr 2027€1,700€1,530until 15 Mar
RiyadhScheduled
5 – 9 Apr 2027€4,200€3,780until 15 Mar
TrabzonScheduled
12 – 16 Apr 2027€4,700€4,230until 22 Mar
AbujaScheduled
19 – 23 Apr 2027€5,100€4,590until 29 Mar
AccraScheduled
26 – 30 Apr 2027€5,100€4,590until 5 Apr
AmmanScheduled
2 – 6 May 2027€3,100€2,790until 12 Apr

Available in: Istanbul · Dubai · London · Riyadh · Doha · Amsterdam

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