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Bowtie is a visual tool which effectively depicts risk providing an opportunity to identify and assess the key safety barriers either in place or the ones lacking, between a safety event and an unsafe outcome.

Bowtie models are a key component of Performance Based Regulation (PBR) and support:

  • An enhanced, graphic representation of risk.
  • A balanced and cross domain risk overview for the whole aviation system between internal and external stakeholders (including third party risks and exposure).
  • An increased awareness and understanding of the safety risk leading to the ‘Key Risk Areas as stipulated by EASA
  • The comprehensive and wide-ranging practical guidance material for safety risk management at an operational and regulatory level.
  • An identification of critical risk controls and an assessment of their effectiveness.
  • An identification of SPIs to monitor performance of risk control.

Bowties can also be used for a variety of tasks as shown below: (You can download this diagram as a PDF).

What does the bowtie show?