Loss Prevention and Safety - A Practical Risk Management Handbook

Edited book, 2011

This handbook is a product of the course entitled as ”Risk Management and Safety” which is offered two times a year to master students by Department of Product and Production Development, Division of Production System at Chalmers University of Technology. The course established in 1997 and is optional. Every year about 200 students take part in the course. The book mainly builds upon the editor research works and also the project works carried out by the course participants. In addition some colleagues have assisted me by contributing to some chapters/sub-chapters. Project work by which risk assessment integrates into other fields is an important and crucial part of this course. In other words, it is an essential section where the knowledge obtained from the course is applied in assessing the risk of a complex system. As a matter of fact, in this course, risk assessment is viewed as a lens inside the sustainable climate as a body through which all potential of losses can be reviewed. It can also be used as a lens for reviewing learning outcomes in preparing the students for implementing sustainable industries and the society. In this case integrating of risk assessment in other curriculums could direct the students as the future operators towards sustainable thinking. It must be noted that the project is carried out by a group of students and is expected to encourage critical thinking, creativity and involvement among the students. Furthermore, 50% of the course grade is allocated to the project work. About four weeks of work are required for a group of students to fulfil the objectives of the project. The intention for preparing this handbook is to produce a one-volume reference book that covers major issues likely to confront the course participants at postgraduate level with different educational backgrounds and also professionals who involve with safety questions in different industries. The handbook covers major topics of risk management and safety issues which are applied in industry in 6 chapters together with some practical applications into two volumes. The first volume consists the main lectures given in the course, some work examples and case studies to make the readers aware of hazard identification procedures, risk assessment methods and the possible ways of loss prevention. In the second volume “practical application”, selected projects carried out by the students are presented. These projects representing more than 300 projects which have been carried out during the period 1997-2011. In fact risk management and safety is a wide area and due to its complexity, there may be some shortage and errors in this handbook. Therefore, the readers’ comments for improvement will warmly welcome. I hope this handbook will help the students/readers to implement safer and more sustainable industries. Gothenburg, August 2011 Mohammad Shahriari, Editor