One Bowtie

Barriers

Barrier Colours

Barrier Information

Top Event

Risk Scoring

Consequence

Escalation factor

Escalation control

Node Guide

Hazard sample
Hazard: Something that has the potential to cause harm. This is the dangerous thing that exists before anything has gone wrong.
Examples: Flammable fuel; electricity; working at height; moving vehicles or machinery.
Plain meaning: What could hurt someone if not controlled?
Threat
Threat: Something that could cause the hazard to get out of control. Threats are the events or actions that may lead to an incident.
Examples: Equipment failure; uneven ground; adverse weather conditions; poor maintenance; slippery surfaces.
Plain meaning: What could start the problem?
Top
Top Event: The moment control over the hazard is lost. This sits in the centre of the bowtie diagram. It is not the injury or damage, but the point where safety fails.
Examples: Work at height -> fall from height. Driving a vehicle -> person loses control of the vehicle.
Plain meaning: The exact moment things stop being safe.
Cons.
Consequence: The harm or damage that results from the top event. These are the outcomes if the situation is not controlled.
Examples: Injury or fatality; property damage; environmental pollution; financial loss.
Plain meaning: What happens if things go wrong?
Barrier: Something that prevents the event or reduces the harm. Barriers work either to stop the top event happening (prevention) or limit the consequences (mitigation). Barriers should be written in the positive.
Missing barrier icon
Missing barrier A control measure that should be in place to prevent or reduce risk but is absent - either because it has been removed or because it is not yet part of the management system.
Person barrier icon
Person barrier (person instructed to do something) A safety control that relies on a person following instructions, procedures, or training to prevent harm (e.g., person maintains an exclusion zone).
Person puts equipment in place icon
Person puts equipment in place barrier A safety control where a person must correctly install, position, or activate protective equipment for it to be effective (e.g., placing a guard, fastening a seatbelt, attaching a fall arrest system, applying a lockout device).
Safe by design barrier icon
Safe by design barrier (active and passive) A built-in safety feature engineered into equipment or systems to eliminate or reduce risk: Active: Requires energy, monitoring, or automatic activation to function (e.g., interlock systems, automatic shut-offs). Passive: Provides protection without needing activation or human intervention (e.g., fixed guards, blast walls, physical separation).
Esc. Factor
Escalation Factor: Something that could weaken or defeat a barrier. Even good safety controls can fail, and escalation factors explain why.
Examples: Poor maintenance; lack of supervision; corrosion or wear.
Plain meaning: What could make the safety measure fail?
Esc. Control
Escalation Factor Control: A control that makes sure the barrier continues to work. This protects the safety measure itself.
Examples: Assurance programmes; preventive maintenance; competency checks; safety communications.
Plain meaning: What makes sure the protection stays effective?
v0.1 beta
Calculation Breakdown
Start here
Select consequences for enabling factor
Select threats for condition modifier
Recycle bin
Recycle bin
Top Event Likelihood

Hazard Details

Top Event Details

Barrier Details

Positive values increase reliability (lower PFD). Negative values decrease reliability (higher PFD).

Escalation Control Details

Threat Details

Likelihood

Consequence Details

People Equipment / Property Environment

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Modifier Details

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