ALARP Conference 2026 and Pre-conference training course - Applying ALARP Principles in Major Accident Risk Management

Summary

Ahead of the ALARP 2026 conference, join our pre-conference training course on 23 September on the topic of "Applying ALARP Principles in Major Accident Risk Management" to raise and address the specific ALARP issues you are facing.

Conference — 24 September: ALARP 2026

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers is delighted to announce our 2026 ALARP conference, bringing together engineers and safety and risk professionals to explore shared challenges and exchange practical examples of how ALARP principles are applied in engineering projects and operations.

Join the 1000+ industry executives and engineers that have been part of the ALARP conference over the last 15 years to:

• Make better, defensible ALARP decisions
• Explore tolerable risk frameworks, cost–benefit analysis and good practice through real examples
• Attend unbiased, engineering anchored presentations
• Receive guidance to the frameworks of practical, regulator-aligned risk decisions

Pre-conference training course — 23 September: Applying ALARP Principles in Major Accident Risk Management

Ahead of the ALARP 2026 conference, join our Applying ALARP Principles in Major Accident Risk Management pre-conference training course on 23 September.

This one-day course provides a practical understanding of the regulatory requirements for major accident risk estimation and management and will enable you to raise and address the specific ALARP issues you are facing. The course introduces the key concepts of risk tolerability and ALARP (“As Low As Reasonably Practicable”), and explores effective ways to communicate, evaluate, and minimise risks through sound engineering judgement. Participants will learn to identify and appraise candidate risk-reduction measures and make informed decisions on implementation for both existing facilities and new designs.

Course objectives:

• Understand the regulatory framework underpinning ALARP and its practical application to major accident risk management
• Gain insight into typical COMAH risk assessment outputs, whether human harm or environmental, and their integration into the ALARP process
• Gain an understanding of risk controls and their hierarchy
• Learn how to use bowtie diagrams to visualise accident causes, consequences, and risk controls
• Develop an understanding of risk tolerability and ‘reasonably practicable’
• Develop confidence in identifying additional risk reduction measures and justifying decisions using engineering judgement and cost-benefit analysis

How will I benefit?

• Hear examples of ALARP demonstrations from a range of sectors, highlighting key takeaways to use in their own work
• Understand latest developments around the interpretation and application of ALARP to emerging sectors 
• Learn how to apply the principal appropriately and produce correct and robust ALARP demonstrations 
• Discover latest risk mitigation techniques within safety-critical industries 
• Enhance regulatory and legal knowledge to reduce penalties through a better understanding of the expectations and meeting them

Key topics

• Overview of key UK regulations, quantitative risk estimation, tolerability criteria, and ALARP demonstration
• Hierarchy of risk control measures and prevention, control and mitigation
• Practical bowtie workshop — building and interpreting bowtie diagrams to communicate risk controls effectively 
• Identification and evaluation of risk reduction options using engineering judgement and cost-benefit analysis