Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 2, 2024 (22/07/2024 - 18/11/2024)
- Study level
- Undergraduate
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Chemical Engineering School
Course covering inherently safer design, defence in depth, resilience engineering, human factors, incident investigation and safety management and governance. Techniques covered include: Hazard and Operability Studies (HAZOP), Functional Failure Analysis (FFA), Fault Tree Analysis (FTA), Event Tree Analysis (ETA), Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and Failure Modes Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA), Bowtie Analysis, LOPA, Accimap and Safer.
Safety is a whole life cycle issue that relates to all aspects of the system. Hardware, software, operating procedures, planning, development, testing, maintenance, installation, commissioning, decommissioning, and disposal are considered in a systems safety program alongside the users, maintainers, designers and customers who interact with systems at each step of the life cycle.
For most safety-critical systems, it is not sufficient to simply develop a safe system: the system must also be shown to be safe. Development of a "safety case" type analysis is important for such systems. Early identification of safety issues and assessment of the safety-criticality of a system are important in order to prevent costly mitigations and rework being needed later on. A number of disasters have shown that for many organisations, the entire process of analysing, specifying, developing and deploying safety-critical systems needed significant improvement.
The lecture component of this course explains the principles and practice of safety management and engineering. The content blends discussion of management and development issues with practical experience in safety analysis techniques. Topics covered include: inherently safer design, defence in depth, resilience engineering, human factors, incident investigation and safety management and governance. Techniques covered include: Hazard Studies (HAZID and HAZOP), Fault Tree Analysis (FTA), Event Tree Analysis (ETA), Failure Modes and Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMEA and FMECA), Bowtie Analysis, LOPA, Accimap, STPA and SAfER.
While the focus is on safety, most of the material applies very well to other dimensions of risk, such as security, financial and/or environmental risk. The course is thus a good primer for anyone interested in risk assessment and risk management for socio-technical systems.
The workshop sessions and assignment work will enable students to develop their skills in system safety engineering on a realistic case study throughout the semester.
Course requirements
Incompatible
You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:
ENGG4020 and ENGG7020 and CHEE7112
Course contact
Course coordinator
Mrs Nyssa Nair
Course staff
Lecturer
Mrs Nyssa Nair
Tutor
Mrs Loreto Codoceo
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Aims and outcomes
This course will develop students' knowledge and application skills in System Safety Engineering.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Explain basic system safety principles and the purpose and structure of risk based safety assessments.
LO2.
Describe the role and responsibilities of Safety Professionals.
LO3.
Perform and critique Risk Analyses for a system using a number of known techniques.
LO4.
Apply and critique risk treatment approaches using a number of known techniques.
LO5.
Identify and specify functional safety requirements for a given system or system design.
LO6.
Identify, describe, interpret, evaluate and describe application of systems safety approaches using key industry standards and codes of practice.
LO7.
Improve team work and communication skills through practice on project work and from reflection and feedback.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation |
Assignment 1. Systems Safety Risk Analysis
|
20% |
23/08/2024 3:00 pm |
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation |
Assignment 2. Risk control analysis
|
30% |
20/09/2024 3:00 pm |
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation | Assignment 3. Literature and case study review | 30% |
25/10/2024 3:00 pm |
| Examination |
Oral exam (interview) (20 Minutes)
|
20% |
End of Semester Exam Period 2/11/2024 - 16/11/2024
Examination period |
Assessment details
Assignment 1. Systems Safety Risk Analysis
- Online
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation
- Weight
- 20%
- Due date
23/08/2024 3:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L06, L07
Task description
Group Assignment with Individual Memo.
Work in groups to undertake a systems safety risk assessment for a case study that will be provided.
Students are then required to write a technical memo describing task and reporting on the system safety risks for a case study.
More detailed guidance will be given in class.
This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT) are emerging tools that may support students in completing this assessment task. Students may appropriately use AI and/or MT in completing this assessment task. Students must clearly reference any use of AI or MT in each instance. A failure to reference AI use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
All written assignments will be submitted electronically via Blackboard and using TurnItIn.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Late submission
Assessments must be submitted on or before the due date. Late submissions of assessment items will only be accepted if approval for late submission has been obtained prior to the due date.
Penalties Apply for Late Submission
Refer PPL Assessment Procedure Section 3 Part C (48)
Assignment 2. Risk control analysis
- Online
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation
- Weight
- 30%
- Due date
20/09/2024 3:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L04, L05, L06, L07
Task description
Group Assignment with Individual Memo.
Work in groups to undertake a risk treatment analysis for a case study that will be provided.
Students are then required to write a technical memo describing task and reporting on the risk treatment requirements for a case study.
More detailed guidance will be given in class.
This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT) are emerging tools that may support students in completing this assessment task. Students may appropriately use AI and/or MT in completing this assessment task. Students must clearly reference any use of AI or MT in each instance. A failure to reference AI use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
All written assignments will be submitted electronically via Blackboard using TurnItIn.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Late submission
Assessments must be submitted on or before the due date. Late submissions of assessment items will only be accepted if approval for late submission has been obtained prior to the due date.
Penalties Apply for Late Submission
Refer PPL Assessment Procedure Section 3 Part C (48)
Assignment 3. Literature and case study review
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation
- Weight
- 30%
- Due date
25/10/2024 3:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06
Task description
Assignment type: individual.
Conduct human and organisational factors analyses for a case study provided and discuss findings as they relate to
(a) defence in depth including inherently safety design
(b) system safety management systems and three lines of defence.
More detailed guidance will be given in class.
This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT) are emerging tools that may support students in completing this assessment task. Students may appropriately use AI and/or MT in completing this assessment task. Students must clearly reference any use of AI or MT in each instance
A failure to reference AI use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
All written assignments will be submitted electronically via Blackboard and using TurnItIn.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Late submission
Assessments must be submitted on or before the due date. Late submissions of assessment items will only be accepted if approval for late submission has been obtained prior to the due date.
Penalties Apply for Late Submission
Refer PPL Assessment Procedure Section 3 Part C (48)
Oral exam (interview) (20 Minutes)
- Identity Verified
- In-person
- Mode
- Oral
- Category
- Examination
- Weight
- 20%
- Due date
End of Semester Exam Period
2/11/2024 - 16/11/2024
Examination period
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06, L07
Task description
This is an oral assessment which consists of an interview session which will be held during the exam period.
More information will be provided in class.
This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT). Students are advised that the use of AI or MT technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
NOTE: Only 20 minutes will be allocated to each student.
Exam details
| Planning time | no planning time minutes |
|---|---|
| Duration | 20 minutes |
| Calculator options | (In person) Casio FX82 series or UQ approved , labelled calculator only |
| Open/closed book | Closed Book examination - no written materials permitted |
| Exam platform | Other |
| Invigilation | Invigilated in person |
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Late submission
Assessments must be submitted on or before the due date. Late submissions of assessment items will only be accepted if approval for late submission has been obtained prior to the due date.
Penalties Apply for Late Submission
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Typical overall mark of 0-19% |
| 2 (Fail) |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Typical overall mark of 20-44% |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes Course grade description: Typical overall mark of 45-49% AND/OR < 50% for individual assessment items AND/OR do not contribute satisfactorily to the two group projects as indicated by PAFs/charter. |
| 4 (Pass) |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Typical overall mark of 50-64% AND >= 50% for individual assessment items AND contributed to the two group projects as indicated by PAFs/charter. |
| 5 (Credit) |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Typical overall mark of 65-74% AND >= 60% for individual assessment items AND contributed satisfactorily to both the two group projects as indicated by PAFs/charter. |
| 6 (Distinction) |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Typical overall mark of 75-84% AND >= 70% for individual assessment items AND contributed satisfactorily to both the two group projects. |
| 7 (High Distinction) |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Typical overall mark of 85-100% AND >= 80% for individual assessment items AND contributed satisfactorily to both the two group projects. |
Additional course grading information
Group members are expected to participate equally in group assignments. To ensure marks are allocated fairly according to contribution, each group member will be required to complete the individual peer assessment form on the course Blackboard site within 5 working days after each group assignment is due. A 10% penalty is applied to an assignment if peer assessment is not completed.ﾠ
Peer assessment factors are moderated by teaching staff based upon group contribution and observations. The moderated peer assessment factor is used to help determine individual marks.ﾠ
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.
Additional learning resources information
The course Blackboard site (https://learn.uq.edu.au/) will be used to provide electronic copies of all course handouts. Note that only students officially enrolled in ﾠENGG6020 will have access to the course Blackboard site.
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Lecture |
Pre-recorded lectures Lectures will cover the basic theory. These will be pre-recorded and available on blackboard Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06 |
|
Workshop |
Workshops There is a 2 x two-hour tutorial sessions each week unless there is a public holiday. The tutorial sessions are intended to give students further practice with techniques taught in lectures and help with assignments. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06, L07 |
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.
School guidelines
Your school has additional guidelines you'll need to follow for this course:
- Safety Induction for Practicals
Course guidelines
Safety Induction for Practicals
Anyone undertaking courses with a practical component must complete the UQ Undergraduate Student Laboratory Safety Induction and pass the associated assessment.
Specific instructions, usage guidelines and rules for each of the undergraduate laboratories will be delivered as part of each course.
In some cases, students may be required to attend a specific face-to-face laboratory induction/training session.