Reliability, Availability & Maintainability Analysis

Reliability, Availability, Maintainability (RAM) Studies

Reliability, Availability, and Maintainability (RAM) modelling evaluates how often plant components and systems fail, how long repairs take, and how these factors affect production availability and uptime. Using RAM insights, operators can improve system design, select reliable equipment, optimise maintenance plans, and align with key standards like IEC 61508, ISO 14224, ISO 20815, and API 581 to minimise downtime, optimise production, and meet performance targets.

Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA)

Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) systematically estimates the likelihood and consequences of hazardous events, including fires, explosions, and toxic releases. QRA provides a robust, data-driven basis for managing safety, environmental, and economic risks in high-hazard industries, supporting ALARP demonstration and informed decision-making.

Safety Cases and Safety Reports

A Safety Case or HSSE (Health, Safety, Security & Environmental) Case demonstrates that a high-hazard facility has identified its major accident hazards, assessed the associated risks, and implemented sufficient controls to reduce those risks to a tolerable or ALARP level. Safety cases are tailored to industry, site-specific, and regulatory requirements, providing assurance to regulators, workforce, and stakeholders that risks to people, the environment, and assets are systematically identified, managed, and continuously monitored. They play a central role in regulatory regimes such as the Nuclear Installations Act, UK Offshore Installations (Safety Case) Regulations, COMAH Regulations, and Seveso III Directive.

DSEAR Risk Assessment

DSEAR (Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations) assessments are required in UK workplaces handling flammable gases, vapours, mists, dusts, or explosive atmospheres. These assessments instill the ALARP principle, starting with inherent safety, ventilation, ignition control and mitigation. By focusing on both technical and organisational controls, DSEAR risk assessments help protect people (as well as property) from fire, explosion, and related hazards.

Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA)

Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) is a systematic approach to identifying potential failure modes in components, equipment, systems, procedures, or software, assessing their consequences (i.e. local and global effects), and prioritising actions to mitigate or eliminate associated risks. FMEA is widely used across industries to improve design robustness, enhance reliability, optimise maintenance, and strengthen operational resilience. When combined with criticality assessment (FMECA), it provides quantitative prioritisation to inform decision-making and risk management in alignment with international standards such as IEC 60812, ISO 31000, and IEC 61511.

Bowtie Analysis

Bowtie analysis provides a visually intuitive, structured approach to understanding how hazards can lead to major accident events and how barriers prevent or mitigate these outcomes. By mapping threats, consequences, and barriers, bowtie diagrams foster engagement, ownership, and accountability at all organisational levels. Our expertise in bowtie analysis helps organisations strengthen barrier management, demonstrate ALARP, and proactively manage operational risk.