Examination arrangement

Course content

The course focuses on systematic prevention of occupational accidents. The subject provides the foundation for and an introduction to practical application of safety analysis for past conditions (reporting of unwanted occurrences; incident database; lagging safety performance indicators; accident investigation); for present conditions (workplace inspections; audits; leading safety performance indicators); and for future conditions (different methods for risk analysis, e.g. preliminary hazard analysis and job safety analysis). Foundations, merits and shortcomings of the methods are described for adequate application. It is emphasized that the analysis results should be used as decision-making support for improved safety. A theoretical part of the subject deals with accident theories and models, barrier philosophies for accident prevention and feedback and learning mechanisms within an organisation. The contents of the subject will be applied on real examples in the teaching activities. The subject is in particular providing students relevant and thorough knowledge on techniques and methods for the management of safety and how safety practice is organised and executed in industrial projects and organizations. The methods and principles in the course is transferable to environmental management and management of working environment. The contents of the course is in particular relevant to UN's sustainable development goal no.8 Decent work and economic growth (target 8.8: promote safe and secure working environments for all workers).The subject is mandatory for students at MHMS and MIHMS.

Learning outcome

Knowledge: After completing the course, the student will be able to:

• explain the theoretical foundation for the different methods and tools in use to identify, analyse and evaluate accident risks and remedial actions
• choose and assess appropriate methods and tools for a systematic and efficient accident prevention work in industrial organizations and project organizations.
• choose and assess efficient preventive measures and argue for the choice of these
• explain why accidents happen by use of different theoretical models and perspectives
• explain the principles for experience feedback and learning from unwanted occurrences.
• explain possibilities and challenges related to digitalization and safety management

Skills: After completing the course, the student will be able to:

• develop efficient systems for safety management based on principles for experience feedback and learning.
• apply accident models for analysis of accidents
• apply methods for accident investigation at different levels
• assess risk for different tasks and systems
• apply and calculate different types of safety performance indicators

Competence: After completing the course, the student will be able to:

• recognize principles behind Norwegian and International safety legislation and their implications for systematic safety management
• solve practical tasks in operational safety management

Learning methods and activities

Each week has a unique topic and each teaching week is structured in the same way. Each week starts with an introduction to the week's topic with a film or podcast with accompanying literature. Films/podcasts are published at the end of the week in advance so that the students have flexibility to acquire the material. This is followed by teaching with physical attendance which is used for problem solving, discussions, exercises and elaborations of the topic introduced earlier in the week. For each weekly topic, there is an associated task that will be part of one of the term papers in the map assessment. The map assessment consists of a number om term papers that are submitted throughout the semester.

Real, practical examples and exercises are applied in the teaching.

Further on evaluation

Assessment form is portfolio assessment. The portfolio assessment consists of a number of individual tasks and group tasks. Submission deadlines are given at the start of the course, the last task is submitted before the end of the semester’s teaching.

The tasks follow the thematic progression of the course, and will be closely related to the weekly topics as described under learning forms and activities. The tasks will typically reflect the content of the course in 3-4 consecutive weeks, and will have submissions that follow such a division of the semester.

Guidance for the tasks is given in exercise hours. All submissions are mandatory to pass the course. In case of voluntary repetition, all parts of the portfolio must be taken again.

All students at master's level can take the course. The course is mandatory for students at MHMS and MIHMS and elective for students at MTBYGG (2/5 years) and MSRAMS.

Specific conditions

Course materials

Kjellén, U. & Albrechtsen, E. (2017): Prevention of Accidents and Unwanted Occurrences. CRC Press.

Other literature available online is provided at the start of the course.

Credit reductions