# BSEN30060

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**Parent**: https://hub.ucd.ie/usis/!W_HU_MENU.P_PUBLISH?p_tag=COURSE&MAJR=ETS2&AUDIENCE=

Academic Year 2025/2026

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#### Quantitative Risk Assessment for Human and Animal Health (BSEN30060)

Subject:
:   Biosystems Engineering

College:
:   Engineering & Architecture

School:
:   Biosystems & Food Engineering

Level:
:   3 (Degree)

Credits:
:   5

Module Coordinator:
:   Professor Enda Cummins

Trimester:
:   Spring

Mode of Delivery:
:   On Campus

Internship Module:
:   No

How will I be graded?
:   Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

In this module you will be introduced to the basics of risk analysis describing each of its components. The methodology component, i.e. risk assessment, will then be described in more detail and will include an introduction to Risk Assessment software. Specific examples will be looked at including project management, public health, environmental (including water quality) and food safety risk assessment. Worked examples will be tailored to accommodate participating student interests (e.g. chemical and microbial risk assessment, environmental contamination, animal and public health issues). Each week you will undertake a practical focused on a specific risk question, intended to focus attention on formulating a risk assessment structure and solution. Focus will be on independent student thinking to design numerical risk assessments, solve food and environmental safety issues, interpret numerical results and provide a series of risk reduction recommendations based on their assessment.

## About this Module

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### What will I learn?

###### Learning Outcomes:

- Outline the steps to carrying out a risk assessment. \
- Describe the principles of quantitative risk assessment (QRA). \
- Design a QRA model structure to solve food/environmental safety problem.\
- Develop and evaluate a quantitative risk assessment problem using numerical data. \
- Discuss, interpret, utilise and explain the meaning of numerical outputs.

###### Indicative Module Content:

Indicative content includes:\
1) Introduction to Risk Analysis and Risk Assessment: Definitions and Concepts\
2) Principles of Quantitative Risk Assessment\
3) Hazard Identification and Characterization\
4) Exposure Assessment Techniques\
5) Case Studies and Applications in Human, Animal and Environmental Health\
6) Future Directions in Quantitative Risk Assessment\
7) Practical Exercises and Simulation Models

### How will I learn?

###### Student Effort Hours:

| Student Effort Type | Hours |
| --- | --- |
| Specified Learning Activities | 30 |
| Autonomous Student Learning | 34 |
| Lectures | 24 |
| Tutorial | 6 |
| Computer Aided Lab | 24 |
|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| Total | 118 |

\

###### Approaches to Teaching and Learning:

Lectures followed by enquiry and problem-based learning. The Quantitative Risk Assessment module employs diverse learning approaches, blending theoretical lectures with practical exercises. Real-world case studies and group discussions enhance understanding, preparing students for complex risk assessment challenges.

### Am I eligible to take this module?

###### Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.

\

###### Module Requisites and Incompatibles

Not applicable to this module.
\
 \

### How will I be assessed?

###### Assessment Strategy

| Description | Timing | Component Scale | Must Pass Component | % of Final Grade | In Module Component Repeat Offered |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Exam (In-person): An exam will take place, in a suitable computer lab, at the end of the module | Week 12 | Graded | Yes | 60 | Yes |
| Portfolio: Portfolio of weekly assignments (assignments must be completed after each class, knowledge and expertise gained is cumulative for each assignment and builds upon learning in previous weeks) | Week 12 | Pass/Fail Grade Scale | No | 0 | No |
| Quizzes/Short Exercises: Series of MCQ Quiz's | Week 4, Week 7, Week 11 | Graded | No | 40 | No |

\

###### Carry forward of passed components

Yes

\

### What happens if I fail?

| Resit In | Terminal Exam |
| --- | --- |
| Summer | Yes - 2 Hour |

*Please see [Student Jargon Buster](https://www.ucd.ie/students/services/ucdstudentjargonbuster/) for more information about remediation types and timing.* \

### Assessment feedback

###### Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Group/class feedback, post-assessment\

###### How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Formative feedback with weekly review of assignments. Immediate feedback after MCQ quizzes with details on answers including a tentative grade. Final summative assessment.

### Reading List

Risk Analysis- A Quantitative Guide, Third Edition\
\
Author: David Vose\
Type: Hardback\
ISBN: 9780470512845\
Date: 14th March, 2008\
Publisher: JOHN WILEY & SONS, INC.

### Associated Staff

| Name | Role |
| --- | --- |
| Mr Ciaran Monahan | Tutor |
| Rajat Nag | Tutor |
| Xin Wang | Tutor |

### When is this module offered?

**Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.**

|  |  |  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Spring | Lecture | Offering 1 | Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 31, 32, 33 | Fri 09:00 - 09:50 |
| Spring | Computer Aided Lab | Offering 1 | Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 31, 32, 33 | Fri 10:00 - 11:50 |

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