Hazards, Risks and Structural Safety

Are small - and by small I mean 1-25 person-consulting practices making better use of the advantages offered by today’s computer technology and software than their big brothers? In this feature, significant recent and future developments in PC software will be explored and linked to the requirements of the structural engineer. R. Dobson

It has been apparent from the earliest days of its development that the computer would have a dramatic impact on the work of engineers. The development of the digital computer offered the potential for the manipulation of vast amounts of data and the rapid solution of mathematical equations. As early as the 1960s, commentators were suggesting that the computer would have a great technical and economic impact. Originally, the technology tended to be reserved for sophisticated analyses. Large, expensive machines needing professional support and operating in batch mode ran programs which were used only when the complexity of the job justified the trouble and expense. P.J. Gardner

In recent years, a number of industries have adopted risk assessment as an element in their safety assurance process, in place of a purely prescriptive approach. The general approach can be used to assess various types of risk, including injury to personnel or to the environment or financial losses which have no safety implications but which may threaten business performance. A number of industries already include aspects of structural performance within risk assessments of their plant and operations; this may require only simple analysis or assumptions, but in some instances complex modelling is required. Risk assessment, howeves forms only one element in the overall safety assurance process and must be complemented by effective safety and quality management systems. M.P. Cotton and J.R. Maguire