Risk-Based Inspection and Hazard Assessments: Analogs for Civil Infrastructure

Day-to-day environmental and operational conditions that lead to deterioration of in-service structures are most often addressed through prescriptive inspection routines or handled on an ad-hoc basis. These approaches lack effectiveness if inspections are untimely or efforts are misdirected. Gains may be realized by following risk-based inspection paradigms in civil infrastructure. Related industries, such as the oil and gas, chemical process, energy and commercial aerospace sectors have long been applying risk-based methods to perform hazard assessments and to then prioritize the inspection and maintenance of structures and systems. These risk-based methods are used to identify, evaluate and control hazards, many of which involve more typical day-to-day deterioration hazards in addition to rare, high-consequence hazards. This paper will serve to highlight hazard assessment techniques and risk-based inspection methods from related industries and suggest how analogous methods may be used for civil infrastructure.