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Safety, Risk and Reliability Engineering (distance learning only)

Safety, Risk And Reliability Engineering (Distance Learning Only) MSc/Diploma

Duration

Overview

Risk has become a key concept in modern society. Growing concern about the environment and a number of disasters have served to focus attention on the hazards and risks involved in a wide range of activities from offshore oil production to rail and air transport; from the design of football stadia to the operation of chemical plants and environmental protection. Today there is a wide range of techniques available to assess risk and reliability, both in relation to safety and in the wider sense. These techniques now underpin new legislation on safety and have relevance over a broad spectrum of activities, including environmental and other systems, where risk and reliability are key concerns.

The MSc/PG Diploma programme in Safety, Risk and Reliability Engineering is designed to give a thorough understanding of these techniques and experience of their application to a variety of real-world problems. It aims to provide students with an understanding of safety, risk and reliability engineering in both a qualitative and quantitative manner, and to develop the skills to apply this understanding. The programme will also introduce students to recent developments in analytical techniques, e.g. computer modelling of risk, reliability and safety problems.

Programme Content

The MSc/Postgraduate Diploma in Safety, Risk and Reliability Engineering is only available by attendance-free distance learning. The programme comprises eight courses. All courses have written examinations and some have compulsory coursework elements. MSc students are also required to complete an individual project (dissertation). This programme has a stronger engineering bias and you should only attempt this if you have done some University level mathematics or equivalent. Otherwise the Safety and Risk Management course might be more appropriate.

For the project component of the programme distance learners are likely to develop something based in their country of residence with advice and supervision from staff in the School. This may well include work with a local company or may involve independent study. Individual arrangements will be set up with each student.

For more detailed information on this programme please contact the Programme Leader before applying (see below).

Course Choice

Risk Assessment and Safety Management

This course aims to give students an appreciation of risk from individual and societal perspectives as well as understanding the basic principles of risk assessment and modelling and how safety management works in practice. Subjects include:The concept and perceptions of hazards and risk. Risk attitudes and impact on decision-making; Interpretations of probability; Quantitative and qualitative aspects of risk; Modelling of decision making under conditions of risk; Inherent Safety; HAZOP; Safety management systems such as BS EN ISO 14000 series and other standards; Application of Safety Management Systems to failed systems and as a preventative tool.

Systems Reliability

Gives an understanding of the qualitative and quantitative techniques that are used in the reliability, availability and maintainability analysis of all types of engineering systems. The syllabus is:

Basic concepts of reliability, availability and maintainability; Failure rates, failure modes, and reliability data; Reliability of systems by reliability block diagram analysis of series and parallel systems; Reliability Centred Maintenance, including replacement strategy, and inspection of standby systems; Markov modelling of system failures; Probabilistic safety analysis, based on Failure Modes Effects and Criticality Analysis, Event trees and Fault trees.

Learning from Disasters

Provides students with an in depth understanding of some of the classic disasters and their consequences by using a range of practical accident investigation techniques. Students will learn to analyse complex histories in order to find the underlying root cause. Topics covered:

Accident models; Root cause and accident analysis techniques concentrating on events and causal factors analysis, barrier analysis, change analysis and the management oversight and risk tree; Review a number of famous disasters including Piper Alpha, Herald of Free Enterprise, Bhopal, Clapham Junction etc.; Identify lessons learned from these disasters; Review some of the major safety lessons from historical disasters; Analyse a real disaster in detail using a number of practical techniques.

Safety, Risk and Reliability

Leads to an understanding of the principles of structural reliability theory and its application to risk and reliability engineering. The course aims to cover the following:

Introduction to concepts of structural safety and risk; Introduction to probability theory and probability distributions; Probabilistic modelling of strength and loads; The First Order Second Moment method and the First Order Reliability method; Reliability-based code calibration; Monte-Carlo simulation and variance reduction techniques; Introduction to the causes of structural deterioration (corrosion, fatigue and fracture) and risk based inspection strategies using Bayesian methods.

Fire Safety, Explosions and Process Safety

Introduces students to the basic principles of fire safety science and engineering, and develops skills in associated modelling leading to an understanding of principal fire/explosion related issues in process safety. Subjects include:

Objectives of fire safety science and engineering; Fire chemistry: stoichiometric burning, ignition, flammability limits; Mechanisms of heat transfer; The burning process; flashpoint, firepoint, flame spread; Fires in enclosures; computer-based models of fire development. Flashover & backdraught; Life threat, human behaviour, evacuation; Fire severity & fire resistance. Probabilistic modelling; Explosions: deflagrations, detonations, fire-balls; Fire related aspects of process safety. Piper Alpha disaster.

Data Analysis and Simulation

Develops knowledge of statistical data analysis and its application in engineering and science and introduces the concepts of using simulation techniques for analysis of complex systems. It also teaches linear optimisation techniques and the ability to apply them to solve simple problems. Topics covered:

Introduction to statistics; Basics of probability theory; Probability distributions; Sampling and confidence intervals; Hypothesis testing; Data correlation and regression analysis; Random number generation; Simulation and modelling; Elements of queuing theory; Introduction to optimisation techniques.

Human Factors Methods

This course will equip students from academic and/or industrial backgrounds with knowledge on, and the means to deploy, a wide range of specialist human factors techniques. The emphasis is on method selection, application, combination and integration within existing business practices. Students will develop a critical awareness of what methods exist, how to apply them in practice and their principle benefits and limitations. The syllabus includes:Introduction to human factors problems and human factors methods; Task analysis; Cognitive task analysis; Human error identification; Situation awareness assessment; Mental workload assessment; Team assessment; Interface analysis; Design methods; Performance time prediction; Method integration; Human factors integration

Environmental Impact Assessment

Provides the candidate with the knowledge and understanding of the principles and processes of the Environmental Impact Assessment. By the end of the course, the student should be familiar with the European EIA legislation and its translation into the Scottish planning system, and be able to demonstrate an understanding of the EIA process, the tools and the agents involved in an EIA and the possible problems with using EIA as a decision making tool. It is also intended that the student will be able to appreciate the purpose of the EIA process from a number of perspectives; that of a developer, an EIA practitioner and a policy maker. The course plan includes:

Introduction to Environmental Impact Assessment; European EIA Legislation; Screening and Scoping; Baseline Studies, Analysis and Prediction of Impact; Consultation, Review and Monitoring; Beyond EIA: Strategic and Social Impact Assessment

Accreditation

This MSc degree is accredited as meeting the requirements for Further Learning for a Chartered Engineer (CEng) for candidates who have already acquired an Accredited CEng (Partial) BEng (Hons) undergraduate first degree. See www.jbm.org.ukfor further information.

The MSc and PgDip degrees have also been accredited by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH). Graduates are eligible to join IOSH as Graduate members and then undertake an initial professional development process that leads to Chartered membership. www.iosh.co.uk for further information.

Programme Leaflet

Download a copy of the programme leaflet for Safety, Risk and Reliability Engineering

About the Programme Director

Pauline Thompson has been working on our safety MScs since 2002. She teaches three of the courses on each of the two safety programmes, has contributed to most of the other courses within the two programmes and supervises many of the student dissertations on these courses. Her research includes many aspects of risk analysis and sustainability with applications in civil engineering.

Pauline has a BSc in Geology and a PhD in Experimental Mineralogy from Edinburgh University. Her PhD studies led her into the materials science of geological materials in the upper mantle. As a result she then moved to Solid State Physics at Glasgow University to work on permanent magnets. After two years in Glasgow she returned to Edinburgh University to study geological materials both from the lower crust and from hydrocarbon reservoirs.

Since 1998 Pauline has also worked part-time for the Open University as an Associate Lecturer. She has taught on two final year degree level courses entitled "Understanding the Continents" and "Sedimentary Processes and Basin Analysis" and a second level course in "Geology".

Through her work with the OU she completed a Masters course on Teaching and Learning in Higher Education and became a member of the Higher Education Academy.

In 2002 she moved to the School of the Built Environment at Heriot-Watt to develop and improve postgraduate courses in Safety Engineering, Mathematics and Civil Engineering. She is now a Teaching Fellow in the School teaching a number of postgraduate courses in Safety Engineering and Sustainability and parts of the undergraduate Civil Engineering programme.

Entry Requirements

English language requirements

If your first language is not English, or your first degree was not taught in English, we�ll need to see evidence of your English language ability. The minimum requirement for English language is IELTS 6.5 or equivalent. We offer a range of English language courses to help you meet the English language requirement prior to starting your masters programme: