Risk and Safety in Engineering Processes

This book explores the treatment of safety risks in railways, analysing both heavy rail and metros. It is structured into eight chapters, and starts with the idea of risk and the history of the human perception of risk. Following on from that, utilising four real-life projects, an extensive review of existing risk analysis methodologies and processes is provided and summarised, including the relationships between different methodologies. Different Inquiry Systems (namely Leibnizian, Kantian, Hegelian, Lockean and Singerian) and the Delphi technique were utilised in this analysis of Safety Case requirements.


Based on the findings of the analysis, the book identifies a set of high level requirements for an integrated and holistic safety analysis and management process system and the Safety Case.


The book details a framework consisting of both existing and novel methodologies which has been developed and implemented on the two largest London Underground projects, Victoria Line Upgrade Programme and Subsurface Railway Upgrade Programme, over a period of two years. During this trial, several gaps in the process were identified, allowing new methodologies and processes to be defined and implemented in order to complete the framework.


The trial was successful, and the new framework, referred to as the Engineering Safety and Assurance Case Management Process, has now been implemented across the London Underground Capital Programmes Directorate.