Which barrier-type risk assessment methodology analyzes cause/prevention controls and consequence/mitigating factors separately?

Which barrier-type risk assessment methodology analyzes cause/prevention controls and consequence/mitigating factors separately?

• A. Fault tree analysis
• B. Failure Modes and Effects Analysis
• C. Bow-tie analysis
• D. Hazard and operability study

Answer: (C)

Bow-tie analysis is the barrier-type risk assessment that presents cause and prevention on one side and consequence and mitigating factors on the other around a central hazard event. On the left, threats are connected to preventive barriers that stop the event from happening; on the right, the event’s possible consequences are linked to mitigating barriers that reduce severity or prevent escalation. This explicit separation lets you see how prevention and mitigation work independently and where gaps exist in either set of barriers. Other methods organize risk differently: fault tree analysis builds logic-based trees of how causes combine to produce a top event, without a clear left-right barrier separation; FMEA focuses on failure modes and their effects within a system; HAZOP analyzes deviations from design intent using guide words. Bow-tie’s structure is what makes it the best fit for analyzing cause/prevention versus consequence/mitigating factors separately.

Bow-tie analysis is the barrier-type risk assessment that presents cause and prevention on one side and consequence and mitigating factors on the other around a central hazard event. On the left, threats are connected to preventive barriers that stop the event from happening; on the right, the event’s possible consequences are linked to mitigating barriers that reduce severity or prevent escalation. This explicit separation lets you see how prevention and mitigation work independently and where gaps exist in either set of barriers. Other methods organize risk differently: fault tree analysis builds logic-based trees of how causes combine to produce a top event, without a clear left-right barrier separation; FMEA focuses on failure modes and their effects within a system; HAZOP analyzes deviations from design intent using guide words. Bow-tie’s structure is what makes it the best fit for analyzing cause/prevention versus consequence/mitigating factors separately.