Robotics and autonomous systems (RAS) Safety: A barrier or an opportunity for growth Is ensuring the safety of robotics and automated systems (RAS) a barrier to, or an opportunity for growth? Is technology racing ahead faster than regulation can keep pace with it? They were among the questions tackled by four speakers at the Hazards

Human decisions and system performance Even as engineered systems become more complex, the need to intervene at times will continue, with little or no reduction in urgency. So, how humans make their decisions and how this contributes to overall system performance becomes increasingly significant. In December, the Hazards Forum invited three guest speakers to a

Data and information sharing for safety and environmental benefit   It’s vital that data and information important for safety and the environment is effectively managed throughout the lifecycle of assets, from design to through to decommissioning. The need for a transparent record of safety information was made evident by the Grenfell fire tragedy. Dame Judith

Wildfires Wildfires have been in news this year, perhaps most notably in Hawaii, where hurricane winds, parched grass, and electrical sparks combined to create a fire that consumed a town. Closer to home, fire services were stretched to the limit when wildfires struck across the UK last year. This Hazards Forum event demonstrates how this

AI workshop In July, the Hazards Forum had the pleasure of visiting the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) site in Buxton, UK. The HSE kindly hosted our hybrid Artificial Intelligence (AI) workshop which brought together presenters from Thales, Office for Nuclear Regulation and University of York, along with other experts in the hazards fields, both in-person and online.  Workshop objectives The Emerging Technology Interest Group

Climate change adaptation and resilience: standards and their application The world is already experiencing climate change impacts; the summer heat wave in the UK and flooding in Pakistan being recent examples.  While there is rightly a focus on mitigation and reaching net zero, there is also a need to focus on adaptation.  Adaptation is the

Nuclear Fusion: Technology Risk The Hazards Forum hosted Nuclear Fusion: Technology Risk as a hybrid event, at the home of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), at One Great George Street, London and online. The event was chaired by Dr Lavinia Raganelli, a risk and safety consultant at Corporate Risk Associates. Our first speaker, Valerie

Nested Dependencies and Unconscious Connectivity The modern world survives and thrives on complex interconnected systems which normally interface seamlessly and give efficiency and productivity.  These systems are complex to develop and engineer but may be entirely un-noticed by the end user.  The COVID pandemic has highlighted the interdependencies of both societal and engineered systems, whilst

Regulation of chemicals (Part 2) Risk management within the new UK REACH framework Part two of our mini-series on the regulation of chemicals, regulators and policy makers focused on UK REACH – a new framework of chemical regulation in the UK post-Brexit. We discovered how it will go about tackling the UK’s first ‘substances of

Covid-19: Science and evidence on environmental transmission and modelling Our three speakers gave a fascinating insight into how Covid-19 challenges the science and evidence around environmental transmission and modelling. All three are active participants in Sage (Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies) and co-chairs of the Sage Environmental Modelling Group. The seminar was held on March

The underpinning risks, challenges and opportunities of Open Data To celebrate Open Data Day on 6 March 2021, we hosted a panel discussion to explore the potential of open data in land development. Our panellists talked about what’s blocking its use, and how these challenges could be met. James Madison, from the Open Data Institute

Regulation of chemicals In the first part of our joint event with the Institution of Civil Engineers, we hosted an hour long webinar on the 1st of December 2020 to discuss the ever-present issues with regulating manufactured chemical products.  Attracting a wide online audience, we learned from key regulators that from time to time, chemicals