Risk assessment process accident categories

The third category of methods addressed in this chapter are error analysis and reduction methodologies. Error analysis techniques can either be applied in a proactive or retrospective mode. In the proactive mode they are used to predict possible errors when tasks are being analyzed during chemical process quantitative risk assessment and design evaluations. When applied retrospectively, they are used to identify the underlying causes of errors giving rise to accidents. Very often the distinction between task analysis and error analysis is blurred, since the process of error analysis always has to proceed from a comprehensive description of a task, usually derived from a task analysis. 

In the industrial field, the accidents situation depends on a wide variety of causes (i.e. diversification and complexity in production processes and technologies, human factors, organizational aspects, no application of safety procedures) that are often very difficult to indentify and to analyze. This is the reason why today aproactive approach to safety problems becomes a key factor. The Risk Assessment approach is aheady known and consohdated but the problem that is not yet solved is related to the indicators used in order to identify the risk priority. Usually these indicators are based on evaluator s experience and expertise, and not necessary deriving from statistical analysis. It depends on the fact that work injuries data are often not usable to characterize a specific risk category by a statistical approach it s a fact mainly due to the amount and typology of the available data and, consequently, to the lack of relationships between injuries and root causes. 

Hazards may be identified through a qualitative process, either formal (part of safety assessment) or based on discussions, interviews, and brainstorming. This is normally done after formation of a multidisciplinary team. As a part of safety assessment, the main aims are (1) to identify a potential incident/accident scenario, and (2) evaluate the scenario through detailed discussions and brainstorming to arrive at risk assessment and recommend risk mitigating procedures. In some cases when conclusive judgment cannot be made, then the system may be repeated for the final result. Some of the various methods under this category are ... 

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