MRM/A/S2/6720/12
Faculty of Engineering and Industrial Science
Higher Education Division
Unit of Study Assessment
RSK80003 Risk Perception and Analysis
Assignment 1 (Module 1)
Semester 1, 2018
All students enrolled in this unit of study are provided access to relevant Blackboard site.
Please visit the postgraduate resources page on the
Faculty of Engineering & Industrial Sciences Website
http://ift.tt/2piZm4a
to download the following information:
• Student Guide 2012
• Avoiding Plagiarism & Cheating Guide
• Swinburne Library Guides
• Assessment Cover Sheets
You will also find other useful resources and forms to
assist you in your studies.
© Swinburne University of Technology, 2015
Except as provided in the Copyright Act 1968, this document may not be
reproduced in any form without the written permission of the University.
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RSK80003 Risk Perception and Analysis
ASSIGNMENT 1
This assignment is related to the following learning outcome(s):
1. Appreciate the philosophy and terminology relating to the idea of risk
Part A Energy and non-energy threats
What is the energy source or non-energy threat with which we would characterise each of the
following cases? Please note that the form an energy takes can (but does not always) change during
an Occurrence, so that the form of the energy that is appropriate for this answer is the form
appropriate to the Event itself. Read the notes to understand what this means. There are correct
and incorrect answers. [3 marks each]
1. An explosion occurs in a coal mine in New Zealand, trapping or killing 29 miners. Subsequent
explosions lead to the mine being sealed without bodies being recovered. A month later the
mine goes into receivership. Explosions in coal mines are not uncommon, as you’ll find if you
look at web sources. Often the exact reason is not known but there are two common possibilities.
One is that the process of mining may penetrate pockets of hydrocarbon gas. The other is that
the process creates coal dust.
2. A light aircraft hit a power line when on final approach to the end of the runway at Geelong
airfield. The contact with the power line decelerated the plane to such an extent that it hit the
road and then the road-side embankment of the main road that also runs along the airfield
boundary. Remarkably, the two people on the plane escaped and ran away before the plane burst
into flames. The power line was broken and interrupted the power supply to Torquay and a
number of other small communities. This interruption lasted at least four hours. Power lines
were lying on the road so one carriageway of the road was closed for some hours while they
were removed. The burning wreckage of the plane also closed the other carriageway. The plane
actually hit the carriageway in a 100km/hr zone and it is surprising that vehicles on the road
were not directly affected.
3. A sick woman was being transferred from a cruise ship to another vessel for emergency medical
treatment when she fell into the sea. This was in the very cold North Sea. The woman later died
in hospital, apparently largely as a result of the exposure to the cold water.
4. A suspension bridge collapses, apparently when a suspension cable breaks. A number of people
and vehicles fall from the bridge into the river, where some 11 people die due to drowning.
5. A couple were walking along a beach beneath a cliff, part of which collapsed and buried them.
| ASSIGNMENT | 1 |
| Worth: | 33.33% |
| Due Date: | Midnight Sunday 25th March, 2018 |
| Length: | As and where indicated in the questions. If no word count guide is given assume that brief and precise responses are required. |
| Purpose: | To provide a structured opportunity to consider and apply the concepts presented in the notes. |
Semester 1, 2018, rev 2
Page 3! of 4!
RSK80003 Risk Perception and Analysis
6. A building (the Rana Plaza, in Bangladesh) housing a clothing factory collapsed killing some
1100 people.
7. A Japanese factory worker allegedly poisoned frozen fish food with pesticides. At least 2483
people complained of illness after eating foods.
8. A large fire burns at an open cut coal mine near Melbourne, apparently ignited by a nearby grass
and forest fire lit by arsonists. Smoke envelops the nearby town of Morwell and results in
significant deterioration of the air quality, such that evacuation was considered at one stage. The
owners of the old mine and the nearby power station had apparently removed water pipes placed
there for possible future fire fighting.
9. A wild life park keeper was killed by a tiger when she was working in the cage. The tiger was
supposed to be contained within a cage itself within the cage being worked on. Systems were
said to be in place to ensure that keepers and animals were kept apart at all times. A bolt on top
of one of the internal doors was found to be defective, in that it was unable to secure the door.
10. A mine tailings dam in Brazil, owned by BHP Billiton and VVale, fails, leading to widespread
destruction and loss of life.
[Total 30 marks]
Part B Applying the time sequence model
In a fish farm in the South Australian Spencer Gulf, dosing of the water with a chemical designed to
kill parasites on the fish was in error and a very large proportion of the fish in the farm is killed, a
total of 80 tonnes of fish worth $700,000. More than $4M of market value was lost when investors
sold off their shares. The company secretary told the paper that “an investigation and a review of
(fish) bathing procedures is in progress”. Source, Australian Financial Review, 8/9/2010.
This is a test of understanding, logic and precision. There are correct and incorrect answers.
a. Describe the various types of Consequences that would have arisen from the case. [3 marks]
b. Describe in simple terms the Severity (size or significance) of each of these Consequence
types. [3 marks]
c. Provide a formal definition of the Event (this means look at the formal definition and relate it
to this energy source and this situation) and a more simple and colloquial statement of it. [4
each – 8 marks]
d. What possible Mechanisms are there for the Event. You don’t need to be a specialist to
answer this, common knowledge will suffice. [6 marks]
e. What do you think the pre-conditions of the Mechanism are? You need to have a proper
understanding of what is meant by this term. [6 marks]
f. What is the Outcome of the Event? Describe other possible Outcomes you can imagine. [4
marks]
[Total 30 marks]
Part C Time Zone 1
Semester 1, 2018, rev 2
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RSK80003 Risk Perception and Analysis
In the context of this case and using any information you may be able to find on the WWW,
consider the various possible categories by which Time Zone 1 of the Time Sequence Model can be
usefully described. The notes indicate a number of different approaches to this as well as the
importance of considering both conditions and circumstances.
i) Select one of those approaches and provide a cogent (look up the dictionary definition of this)
argument for its use over the others. [15 marks]
ii) Use the categories you have chosen to describe the actual Time Zone 1 situation as best you can
from the information available to you. You’ll note that Time Zone 1 is the here and now of
operations and you need to consider it in the context of the grounding not yet having happened.
[15 marks]
[total 30 marks]
Part D Quantifying estimates of risk
Describe a Risk with which you have some familiarity or interest. Take care to ensure it really is a
Risk and is not a ‘cause’ or a failed control measure etc.
(i) What are the units of Exposure for this Risk. [6 marks]
(ii) How would you describe the measure (that is the meaning) of Probability for this Risk? Be
very careful in understanding the theory given in the notes. [6 marks]
(iii) What are the units of Frequency for this Risk? [6 marks]
(iv) Explain the nature of the Consequences arising from this Risk. In your judgement, what is the
range of Consequence Values applicable to each of the Consequence types that are relevant to
this risk? [6 marks]
(v) Provide a critical commentary of the definition of Risk in the ISO guide to Risk Management,
given in the notes, in the context of the formal discussion of the subject in the notes. [6 marks]
[Maximum 30 marks]
Semester 1, 2018, rev 2
ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES AND EXPLANATIONS
SUBMITTING ASSESSMENT TASK RESPONSES
Kindly:
1. Name your document as follows – Surname Course Assessment number (eg. Smith RSK80003
Assignment 1)
2. Include your name in the header or footer of your document.
3. Submit an easily-editable form of the work unless the task requirement makes this impossible,
eg. a Word or similar document. This makes it simple to include comments and assessments.
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA and THEIR USE
If plagiarism is evident or considered possible, my initial response is to record no mark until my
concern has been satisfactorily responded to by you. What I see as plagiarism may be understood
differently by you so I provide the opportunity to explain it or even correct it. In the first instance it
is your responsibility to satisfy me that you have not submitted plagiarised material. If the matter is
not able to be resolved in this way, the university’s plagiarism procedure will be made use of.
In answering an assignment:
• Feel free to make whatever assumptions you consider necessary, although do state these
assumptions clearly
• Pay careful attention to appropriate use of language, spelling and references
• Ensure that you have a clear understanding of the question or requirement and respond only
to that
• Structure your work in such a way that it is absolutely clear to the assessor which particular
part of the assignment is being addressed. For example, if there is a Part 2(a) in the
assignment, label your response in the same way, i.e. 2(a).
Assessment of your response to questions which may be answered well or poorly is based on these
guidelines, derived from the work of Ramsden1:
*Note it is quite possible to receive a mark of zero. Note also that material unrelated to the
question, however good, is not assessed.
| Your submission is: Misunderstood, irrelevant to the question as set* |
% of available marks 0 |
| Poor and patchy understanding, contains little of relevance | 20 |
| Partly correct and has some relevance | 40 |
| Mostly correct and is mostly relevant | 60 |
| Good, correct | 80 |
| Excellent, extends understanding and shows mastery | 100 |
1 Ramsden, Paul (2003) Learning to Teach in Higher Education, 2nd Edition Routledge Falmer, Abingdon, England
Derek Viner
| vs 1 Rev 7 | Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology Swinburne University of Technology |
Page1 of3 |
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ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES AND EXPLANATIONS
As the assessor, I make a judgement about where your response to each requirement of the
assignment task (the assessment criteria) sits on this scale. I provide you with a copy of this so you
can see exactly what I have done. If you feel I am incorrect or have made a mistake feel free to
raise this with me.
Assessment of your response to questions which are either correct or incorrect (only one correct
answer, eg. what is the sum of 2 and 2?) is 100% or 0%.
Your overall mark for the assignment will be the sum of all these marks and is a raw score that has
not been subject to any moderation either by myself or others. The assessment is given to you as a
copy of the spreadsheet used for this purpose.
If, on finally summing all marks for all assignments, your mark is found to be close to a higher
grade, then the marks may be re-assessed for justification to raise your overall grade accordingly.
What does a good assignment look like?
1. It is well written, meaning it consists of properly formed (and preferably short) sentences and
paragraphs using appropriate words and terms and suitably punctuated. This is because if it is not I
have to guess what it is you are trying to say. If after three attempts I still don’t understand the
intended meaning, naturally it has not contributed to your assessment. This is not just academic – it
applies in your work too. If you aspire to being regarded as a professional person, you have to earn
that description and your ability to write convincing prose is a significant aspect of this.
2. The words written address the topic of the question. If you paraphrase the question and then
answer your version of it, what if your version is incorrect or incomplete? If you go off subject, how
will you know you have done so? This is not academic – if you are asked to write a report on
something and then go off on a tangent, how does that make you look? So don’t paraphrase it and
then when you have finished go back and read it again and see if you really have done what is
asked.
This also means that any guidance material of either a general or question-specific form that has
been provided has actually been read.
3. The written material has been constructed after some thought has been given to the topic and,
preferably, some relevant research has been done on it too. There is a clear purpose to what you are
writing. It does not address the same point in more than one way, unless repetition has some value.
The reader can clearly understand the flow of your thought and see its relevance to the heading
under which it is written. There is nothing that does not address the question in some manner that
assists the reader. Don’t use academic flim-flam and hope to flounder through to a pass.
4. The written material shows understanding of the topic. Often, when assessing material I never
really get to the understanding bit as the writer has tripped themselves up badly on the preceding
points. Make sure that is not you in future!
5. The content is succinct.
Derek Viner
| vs 1 Rev 7 | Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology Swinburne University of Technology |
Page2 of3 |
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ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES AND EXPLANATIONS
MY COMMENTS ON YOUR WORK
Written comments are made in the text of your assignment. Please note this well – I use UPPER
CASE for this as it is quick and easy to hit caps lock once on my computer rather than inserting text
of a different colour. This is not “shouting”! Commenting in bold requires two key strokes each
time a comment is made, commenting in another colour requires mouse use and selection of a
colour and then de-selection. This may not seem significant to you, but combine this with multiple
comments in one assessment task and multiply that by 40 or more students and you may easily see
how the time to provide feedback can increase significantly and be more tiring. Please get over the
idea that I am somehow shouting at you – I am not.
I also make direct comments when providing feedback. I am more likely to say, for example:
– “this is incomprehensible and could be said more simply” (9 words) rather than “you may find it
is easier for a reader if you thought about framing your sentences in more simple language” (20
words)
– “the context of this is unclear” (6 words) rather than “It is not clear to me why you have said this
here as it does not follow from what you have just written” (23 words)
– “this is not a correct application of the theory” (9 words) rather than “it is hard to see your logic
in drawing this conclusion from the theory” (14 words)
You can see how what you may see as being kinder comments take more time and may make the
significance of the comment less evident. Ensuring you understand my comment and limiting the
time taken to give it are both important to me. My objective is to give you accurate and quick
feedback.
Note also that I am an engineer and engineers are accustomed to saying things as they are rather
than wrapping them in cotton wool. It is better to say “your calculation is in error because your
logic is incorrect” than to wait for the bridge to fall down.
Don’t be surprised if comments on what could have been done better predominate – the intent is to
help you to see where this is so and why.
If I provide many comments on your written word, it is because I know how important it is in any
workplace to be able to communicate clearly in writing.
MODEL ANSWER
Where possible a model answer is provided as part of the feedback. It may be also that a model
answer for a similar assessment task in a previous delivery of the subject is provided to assist you to
understand how to answer a set of questions.
Alternatively, some guidance material will be provided.
Using these and the assessment spreadsheet, you should be able to learn from the process.
Derek Viner
vs 1 Rev 7
Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology
Swinburne University of Technology Page!3 of!3
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