Risk Assessment
In reliability engineering and CMMS (e.g., ServiceGrid), Risk Assessment is the systematic process of quantifying an asset’s risk by calculating the product of probability of failure and consequence of severity (often including detectability), yielding a Risk Priority Number (RPN) or criticality score to prioritize maintenance actions.
On the shop floor, maintenance teams define a risk matrix (Severity × Occurrence × Detection) and score each asset’s failure modes via FMEA within the CMMS. Assets with RPN > 100 trigger immediate Preventive Maintenance (PM) or inspection tasks, while lower-risk items receive reduced or deferred maintenance. CMMS dashboards display risk-priority scores per asset, using inputs like MTBF trends, condition indicators, downtime costs, safety exposure, and regulatory impact to drive reliability engineering priorities.
How is RPN calculated in FMEA for maintenance?
RPN = Severity × Occurrence × Detection, where Severity reflects consequence (safety, cost, production), Occurrence is likelihood of failure, and Detection is ease of spotting the failure before it occurs.
What CMMS fields enable risk-based maintenance?
Custom fields for Criticality (High/Medium/Low), MTBF trend, condition indicators, age vs. expected life, downtime cost, safety exposure, and detectability enable automated risk scoring and ranked action lists.
How does Risk Assessment differ from Reliability Assessment?
Reliability Assessment focuses on asset ability to perform its function over time (breakdown analysis), while Risk Assessment quantifies likelihood × severity to prioritize maintenance, forming the basis of Risk-Based Maintenance (RbM).
When is a risk level 'high' in a risk matrix?
A failure mode is 'high risk' when severity is catastrophic (e.g., safety hazard, major production loss) and probability is frequent, plotted in the top-right quadrant of the risk matrix.