Page 1 - Bow Tie for understanding COVID-19

Bow Tie for Covid-19 (as per CCPS/EI guidance)

Authors: Mark Manton (ABS Group), Martin Johnson (BP), Mark Scanlon (Energy Institute), Rob
Miles (Hu-tech) and Charles Cowley (CCPS)
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Date: 9 April 2020
Covid-19 is sweeping the globe and there is a lot of guidance on what we should be doing, but this
tends to be many words and it is not always obvious why specific guidance has been introduced and
what it hopes to achieve. So we have produced a picture which hopefully explains your role in the
whole pandemic, a visual aid in the shape of a bowtie:

The bow tie methodology illustrates how threats can act on hazards leading to a loss of control, which
may result in catastrophic consequences. In the bow tie diagram, prevention barriers are located on
the left side and mitigation barriers are located on the right side. A well-drawn bow tie clearly shows
all barriers that can prevent the top event, the loss of control, from occurring or mitigate the
consequences.
We, members of the committee who worked on the recent book, “Bow Ties in Risk Management”,
published by the Energy Institute and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers’ Center for
Chemical Process Safety, developed this bowtie for Covid-19.

We welcome all comments to help us improve it to make it more useful for all.

Please note: this bow tie is based primarily upon the directives and guidance from the UK
Government and the CDC. In all cases you should follow the directives and guidance from your
own government and health institutions around the world. The knowledge and understanding of
Covid-19 is increasing and the most recent directives and guidance should always be followed. We
will update and edit this bowtie as new guidance becomes available.

©This bowtie was developed under the auspices of the Energy Institute and the Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS, part
of AIChE). You are free to share, print, copy or modify this bowtie further provided your copies, modifications and
developments include the phrase “this bowtie was based on the original Covid-19 bowtie developed by the EI and CCPS”