Occupational Risk Assessment using Bow Tie Method in Chemical Industry

Abstract: This study applies Bow Tie Analysis to the storage area of a small chemical factory which is associated with paint manufacturing. The analysis focuses on potential causes and consequences of a fire in the storage area, giving emphasis to the existing safety barriers and escalation factors which may influence the behaviour of the barriers. In this paper, a semi quantitative method BTRA (Bow Tie Risk Assessment) of estimating and evaluating the overall risk is used where the results of the bow tie diagram are used as input data and the risk for each consequence is calculated using a risk matrix. The findings highlighted critical weaknesses in current safety practices of the organisation as the risk associated with each consequence was “high” and “very high”. Therefore, practical improvements to enhance risk management were suggested to improve overall safety.