Bowtie Analysis and Barrier-based Risk Management

Online | Face-to-face | In-company

Overview

This course will develop your understanding of the bowtie risk assessment methodology and how to conduct a bowtie analysis effectively in process safety management and environmental or asset integrity scenarios. It will demonstrate how the bowtie methodology provides the right level of detail to facilitate understanding and risk-based decision making, without oversimplifying a process.

The course covers when and why you should use the technique, as well as its strengths and limitations. You will also explore other barrier-based risk management approaches and similarities with HAZOP/PHA studies. There will be practical exercises where you can develop your own basic bowtie in collaboration with others.

You will also explore primary and secondary uses of bowties; the potential benefits of adding metadata to bowties; the significance of barrier management; the relationship with operations and maintenance activities; the role that barrier failure has played in familiar incidents; and human and organisational factors in bowties. 

The course aligns with current industry guidance. It is platform neutral and does not favour any specific software.

There will be an assessment at the end of the course. Following successful completion, you will receive your certificate of attendance (see below).

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course, you will understand: 

• when and why to use bowtie analysis
• individual bowtie components and how they are assembled to illustrate a scenario
• how to apply the bowtie methodology including the process for developing bowties in a sequential, logical order
• how to facilitate and plan bowtie workshops
• the interdependencies of bowtie analysis with other barrier-based risk management techniques.

Who will benefit

• Anyone with a basic knowledge of the bowtie methodology wanting to learn how to apply it effectively
• Management, engineering and operations/maintenance personnel with responsibility for managing hazards and implementing/sustaining risk control measures

Course outline

• Bowtie concepts and risk management
• The bowtie model
• Bowtie development and workshops
• Use of bowties
• Barrier management
• Human and organisational factors in bowties
• Advanced bowties

Course delivery

Online.

Live sessions are delivered via Microsoft Teams. If you don't already have this installed, you can join as a guest in order to access the training. 

There will be some work to complete independently before the course and between the live sessions. More details will be provided after you have registered.

Dates

• Module one: 21 October 2025, 10:00–13:00 BST
• Module two: 23 October 2025, 10:00–13:00 BST

Not available then or looking for an alternative course delivery? View alternative dates.

Fees

• IChemE member: £800 + VAT 
• Non-member: £1,100 + VAT

More than one person to train?

Multi-place discounts

Discounts are available to companies booking more than one place. Bookings must be made at the same time to receive the discount.

• 2 places – 10% discount
• 3 places –15% discount
• 4 or more places – 20% discount

In-company training

This course can be delivered to in-house teams, either on-site or online. This could be a cost-effective option if you have several people requiring the training. Content can be tailored to your specific requirements. Request a quotation.

Attendance certificate and CPD hours

An e-certificate will be issued at the end of the course to confirm attendance and CPD hours logged. Please note that you must attend the whole course to receive the certificate. 

In the case of online courses, CPD hours should be used as an approximate guide and will vary depending on the preferred approach of the delegate and to what extent additional learning is completed.