Carefully constructed bowtie diagrams help you see a clear picture of your risk. Clear bowtie diagrams are made up of many different elements, but one that may be often overlooked is the use of metadata.

Metadata takes your bowtie diagram to the next level by adding necessary information about your barriers, such as its condition, who is responsible for its maintenance and anything else a viewer may need to know. Keep reading to discover the most common types of metadata and why you should include them in your bowtie diagrams.

Types of Metadata

These metadata options are pre-populated in Bowtie Master, but you can customise and add options based on your organisation’s needs.

Barrier description

• Describe your barriers in further detail by adding a free text description. Give the viewer context that helps them understand what the barrier is, using information that won’t be found in other metadata.

Barrier condition

• Barrier condition, also known as barrier health, allows you to assess the effectiveness of your barriers. If you have a piece of equipment that’s in need of maintenance, you can label it ‘not effective’ or ‘partially effective’. This helps you understand where your priorities should be.

Barrier owner

• Ensure accountability by designating an owner for each of your barriers, such as your safety manager. Keep reading to find out how you can even link their contact information for your viewers to access.

Barrier type

• Is your barrier defined as active hardware? Passive hardware? Does it require human activity? Let your viewers know by selecting the type of barrier.

There are infinite possibilities for customising your metadata. Metadata is most commonly defined as “information about other information”, but what does this mean when building a bowtie diagram? Think of your barriers as the base information, and the metadata as any context that makes the diagram easier to understand (CCPS, 2018).

Though there’s no limit to what you can do with your metadata, it’s important to keep in mind that the point of a bowtie diagram is to create a clear picture of your risk, so adding too much metadata may detract from the overall point of the diagram. Put this information to use by logging into your account or starting your free trial today.

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