Type of course

Course content

The course includes four modules.

Module A includes risk identification and risk assessment, its concepts, tools and techniques.

Module B covers risk perception and risk acceptance concepts and decision-making tools (e.g., Cost-Benefit, Cost effectiveness, ALARP). It also delves into attitudes towards risk based on psychological, social, and cultural dimensions. Further, experts and general public’s views on assessing risks and risk acceptance will be discussed.

Module C includes risk management process in view of ISO Risk Management Standard. It further covers barriers, risk monitoring, risk governance and risk communication (internal/external).

Module D focuses on safety management from organisational point of view. More specifically, it covers human factors and organisational perspectives on why accidents happen. Regulations, audits and Safety Models I&II are also discussed in this module. This module concludes with discussions on safety management and leadership.

Objectives of the course

Knowledge:

The student ...

• has advanced knowledge on the concept or risk, background knowledge, vulnerability, and uncertainty
• has thorough knowledge on fundamental principles of risk identification and risk assessment
• has knowledge on different tools and techniques for analysing and evaluating the risks
• can understand risk management principles, risk governance and communication models.
• can understand the psychological and cultural aspects, and individual aspects of risk perception and can identify and the drivers influencing individual or group perceptions and attitudes towards risk
• has knowledge about expert judgements and the general public’s intuitive judgements
• has acquired an advanced understanding of different theoretical approaches to safety management.
• has acquired an in-depth knowledge of different methods organisation’s apply in in safety management.

Skills:

The student ...

• can apply different tools and techniques for risk analysis to a variety of problems
• can plan and carry out a risk assessment task in accordance with
• ISO Risk Management Standard (ISO 31000)
• can report and communicate the risk assessment results, background knowledge and uncertainties associated with both the risk model inputs and outputs
• can apply academic knowledge on risk perception and acceptance to the practical and theoretical problems, in general, and to the real-life societal and technical problems
• can evaluate safety management systems and practices, based on theory.
• can critically assess the use of theoretical approaches to the study of safety management

General competence:

The student ...

• can apply risk-related knowledge and analyse practical and theoretical problems on the basis of risk science and critically reflect upon available alternatives and solutions
• can exchange scientific opinions and discuss with others and thus contribute to the development of good practice in the field of risk perception and risk acceptance
• can communicate important aspects of risks, alternatives, acceptance criteria relevant to various situations to a variety of audience/stakeholders
• can conduct in-depth analysis of safety management practices

Language of instruction and examination

Language of instruction: English

Language of examination: English, but students may answer in a Scandinavian language.

Teaching methods

Video lectures, project work, training-through-research, supervisions, digital workshops, in-sync teaching sessions.

Approximately 30 hours.