Forming a strategy to mitigate pipeline risks can be complicated by how the length of an asset impacts the numbers. Data and statistics must be carefully considered and interpreted in light of the ‘length’ factor. This article discusses a subtle but critical aspect of understanding risk on a long, linear asset like a pipeline. Risk […]
Results for Acceptable Risk
Statistical Life Valuation
As monetization of risk becomes more mainstream, values must be assigned to the potential for human injury or fatality. The risk assessor need not generate values himself since such numbers are published in various sources. This includes values that have been used in US government decision-making for years. Here is some example guidance: VSL Guidance 2013 […]
Monetized Risk
Quantifying potential consequences with a common scale can be challenging. Using a measure such as cost—the monetized loss associated with the damages—forces some difficult judgments to be made among various receptor damages. For example, not only must a value be assigned to a statistical human life, but also to various injury types, environmental damage, damage […]
Where is the Risk Control Strategy?
In an earlier article, we noted that risk management is, in effect, often unintentionally delegated to decision-makers occupying the lower portions of the corporate org chart. In many companies, the field personnel are essentially setting corporate risk levels via their choices in day-to-day activities and their perceptions of priorities. While we noted some advantages of […]
The economics of acceptable risk
While avoiding the many nuances of ‘acceptable’ vs ‘tolerable’ risk and ‘How safe is safe enough?’ issues, let’s scratch the surface of setting, moving towards, or sustaining a target risk level. We begin with a premise that risk reduction is sought for some asset or collection of assets. We explore the risk reduction opportunities with […]
Due Diligence—Risk Costs of Asset Ownership
In this column, we occasionally highlight applications of risk assessment that are perhaps less apparent to some. Since risk permeates almost all industrial endeavors, it is not surprising that risk understanding is or should be an essential part of many types of decision-making. We have already covered risk assessment in incident investigation and as a […]
Risk Management Resources
Articles <!– Where is the Risk Control Strategy? –> Is formal risk assessment helping me? Pipeline risk assessment as a tool for resolving conflict Pipeline risk assessment: risk profiling Full understanding of pipeline risk generates numerous opportunities to reduce that risk. So previous chapters have already identified risk mitigation opportunities. Reducing exposure, increasing mitigation or […]
Calibration of Risk Estimates
Resources to help validate, verify, and calibrate risk assessment results: Book chapter 3.7 phmsa pipeline failure investigation reports USA pipeline incident stats European pipeline accident stats Canadian Australian UK pipeline regulation, guidance, data