When the Kristian Gerhard Jebsen Foundation was announced on Mars 18, 2010, it was also made known that the foundation had donated funding for a  professorship in Technical Safety at The Department of Production and Quality Engineering (IPK) at  NTNU. Stein Haugen has been appointed to the professorship, and he joined the IPK faculty on October 1, 2010. Technical Security is part of RAMS at IPK.

”Technical Safety” is a term that is commonly used but not necessarily well defined. In this context, Technical Safety includes the identification of hazards, analysis of risks and using this to decide on the best way to reduce risk, through design and technical means, but also through operational, human and organizational means. Technical safety is also about following up safety systems in operation, to ensure that they remain functional as intended and provide protection against unwanted effects.

To illustrate what this means in practice, transport of dangerous goods, such as LNG, may be used as an example. Technical safety would then firstly cover identification of what hazards are associated with the LNG and analyzing the causes and consequences of accidents. Secondly, technical safety is also about how this information is used to design, operate and maintain the ship and its technical systems such that accidents are avoided and mitigated.

This means that it is a very wide field, but a key to success is a thorough understanding of hazards and risks. From this basis comes the ability to manage the risks, through design and operation.

Brief CV – Stein Haugen

STEIN HAUGEN holds a PhD in Marine Engineering from NTNU and has more than 25 years experience from consulting. In this period, he has particularly worked with technical safety and risk analysis. Key industries that he has worked with has been oil and gas, shipping and maritime industry and transport in general. He has also worked on a number of projects for public services and regulators. The work has included performing a large number of risk analyses, development of risk management systems, managing development projects and conducting training related to risk analysis, risk management and accident investigation. Haugen further has 10 years experience as an adjunct professor at NTNU, teaching students both in Norway and abroad. The last few years he has worked extensively with major accident risk and how human and organizational factors influence risk.