The principle of demonstrating the case for safety has become a familiar practice in the onshore (through CIMAH and COMAH regulations), offshore and more recently in the port and railway sectors.

The production of a Safety Case is fundamental to the development of new systems and equipment in an integrated engineering environment. Safety cases provide a demonstration that the product or system implemented will deliver the required level of safety and that the risk associated with it has been reduced as low as reasonably practicable. This is achieved by scrutinising the design and application of the system or product from a range of perspectives to identify the range of possible hazards that could occur during normal and degraded states.

Each of the hazards is then systematically analysed to identify and evaluate the possible improvements to the system that mitigate the risk. The particular safety case requirements vary for different industries and within an industry for different schemes and products, but the principles remain the same.

Sotera personnel have a wealth of experience in preparing safety cases onshore, offshore and in the rail industry. Experience in the onshore industries includes risk assessment and safety case work (eg Seveso II Directive and COMAH) in the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Australia, South Africa as well as the UK. Safety case work in the offshore industry includes those sections of the Safety Case associated with the assessment of major hazards in the UK and Australia. Safety cases in the rail industry comprise those for train operating companies, train manufacturers and equipment suppliers in accordance with the UK legislative requirements, as well as the requirements of Europe (CENELEC Railway Safety Standards).