Master’s in Operational Safety, HSE & Risk Engineering
Online master's programme of 1,900 hours in Operational Safety, HSE and Risk Engineering, with 12 modules covering risk concepts, the HSE regulatory framework, hazard identification, qualitative and quantitative risk assessment, barriers and functional safety, human factors, environment and integrated management systems, with an assigned technical tutor.
Master’s in Operational Safety, HSE & Risk Engineering — studying from Canada
Canada has a well-developed health technology and medical device sector, with concentrations in Ontario, Québec, Alberta and British Columbia. Research institutions and hospitals collaborate with companies on biomechanics, rehabilitation engineering and wearable sensing. Medical devices are regulated by Health Canada under the Medical Devices Regulations, and workplace safety is overseen by provincial occupational health and safety bodies. Engineers in this field contribute to device development, ergonomics and operational safety assessment.
Fees for Canada: C$12,400 (Canadian dollar), with instalments and employer sponsorship available.
Relevant bodies in Canada
Typical roles
Questions from Canada
Is this programme recognised by professional bodies in Canada for engineering work in health and biomechanics?
SEIUM's qualifications are private qualifications, not official state degrees, and are not accredited by any national body in Canada. Professional engineering in Canada is regulated provincially by bodies such as Professional Engineers Ontario or Engineers and Geoscientists BC, which set licensing requirements. Recognition of a private qualification is decided by employers or the relevant body, so you should check directly with them before relying on it.
Will this qualification help me find work in biomechanics or wearables in Canada?
It can strengthen your technical profile, but employers in Canada, including hospitals, medical device firms and safety-focused companies, decide how much weight to give a private qualification. Many roles in regulated health technology also require provincial licensing or specific credentials. A final project and an assigned technical tutor can help you show practical capability in interviews, but no job outcome can be guaranteed.
Can I study this while working full time in Canada, and do I need a visa?
The programme is 100% online and taught in English, so you can study from home and no student visa is needed. Specialist courses are about 300 hours, postgraduate diplomas 800 hours and master's programmes 1,900 hours, so plan your weekly study time accordingly. Fees are payable in instalments, and employer sponsorship is possible. Check the time zone for live elements with the school before enrolling.
Take the controls.
Run a real engineering trade-off from this field. Move the sliders, watch the model react in real time and beat the challenge.
What you will be able to do
Apply the concepts of risk, tolerability and ALARP.
Interpret the health, safety and environmental regulatory framework.
Identify hazards using structured methods.
Assess risks with qualitative and quantitative techniques.
Manage technical and organisational barriers.
Integrate ISO 45001 and ISO 14001 management systems.
Investigate incidents and turn lessons learned into improvements.
Who it's for
- HSE technicians.
- Risk analysis engineers.
- Operational safety managers.
- Management system auditors.
- Health, safety and environmental consultants.
- Contractor safety coordinators.
- Engineering or science graduates looking to move into the chemical and petrochemical sector.
What you'll work with
- Law 31/1995 (Occupational Risk Prevention Act, Spain)
- Directive 2012/18/EU (Seveso III, major-accident hazards)
- ISO 31000 (risk management)
- ISO 45001 (occupational health and safety management systems)
- ISO 14001 (environmental management systems)
- IEC 61511 (functional safety in the process industry)
- Royal Decree 840/2015 (major accidents, Spain)
- API RP 754 (process safety performance indicators)
- DNV Phast and Safeti
- BowTieXP
- Isograph Reliability Workbench
- Power BI
- Microsoft Excel
12 modules · 1900 h
1.1Hazard, risk and exposure1.2Individual and societal risk1.3Risk tolerability and the ALARP principle1.4Process safety versus occupational safety1.5Evolution of accident theories1.6Hollnagel's Safety-I and Safety-II1.7Complex systems and accident emergence1.8Public perception of risk1.9Leading and lagging indicators1.10Case study: lessons from the Texas City accident
2.1Law 31/1995 and the general duty of protection2.2Royal Decree 39/1997 Regulation on Prevention Services2.3Directive 2012/18/EU Seveso III2.4Royal Decree 840/2015 on major accidents2.5Law 26/2007 on Environmental Liability2.6Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 on machinery2.7ISO 31000 risk management2.8Criminal and administrative liability2.9Fire Safety Regulation for Industrial Establishments2.10Workshop: map of HSE obligations for a plant
3.1Checklists and What-if3.2Preliminary hazard analysis3.3HAZID in engineering projects3.4Task analysis and job safety analysis3.5Planned safety inspections3.6Preventive behaviour observations3.7Hazard register and classification3.8Emerging hazards and new technologies3.9Worker participation in hazard identification3.10Practical exercise: HAZID of a compressor station
4.1Risk matrices and their biases4.2William Fine method4.3INSST general assessment method4.4Bow-tie barrier analysis4.5Fire and explosion risk indices4.6Prioritisation of preventive measures4.7Hierarchy of controls4.8Documenting the assessment4.9Periodic review and updating4.10Lab: bow-tie diagram for a loss of containment
5.1Fault trees and Boolean algebra5.2Event trees5.3Generic failure frequencies5.4Consequence models: dispersion and fire5.5Vulnerability and probit functions5.6F-N curves and risk contours5.7Uncertainty in quantitative analysis5.8Commercial QRA tools5.9Using QRA in decision-making5.10Practical exercise: fault tree of a protection system
6.1Classification of technical and organisational barriers6.2Safety instrumented systems6.3IEC 61511 in the process industry6.4SIL determination6.5Barrier integrity and its management6.6Safety-critical elements6.7Testing and maintenance of barriers6.8Degradation and bypassing of protections6.9Management of change for barriers6.10Workshop: inventory of critical barriers
7.1Human error and violations7.2Swiss cheese model7.3Safety culture and its measurement7.4Visible safety leadership7.5Safe behaviour and BBS programmes7.6Communicating risks to the workforce7.7Contractors and interface management7.8Fatigue and workload7.9Competence and training7.10Case study: safety culture diagnosis
8.1Permit-to-work systems8.2Isolation and lockout-tagout (LOTO)8.3Hot work8.4Safe entry into confined spaces8.5Work at height8.6Lifting and critical operations8.7Shutdowns and start-ups8.8Risk-based maintenance8.9Managing shift handover interfaces8.10Practical exercise: permit to work for a confined space
9.1Significant environmental aspects9.2Integrated environmental permit9.3Emissions to air9.4Discharges and contaminated soils9.5Hazardous waste management9.6Environmental risk and MIRAT risk analysis9.7Climate change and physical risks9.8ESG indicators in HSE9.9CSRD sustainability reporting9.10Case study: environmental risk analysis of a plant
10.1ISO 45001 occupational health and safety10.2ISO 14001 environmental management10.3Integration of systems10.4Leadership and participation10.5Planning and objectives10.6Integrated internal audits10.7Management review10.8Continual improvement and the integrated PDCA cycle10.9Certification of systems10.10Workshop: simulated integrated internal audit
11.1Incident reporting11.2Investigation methodologies11.3Root cause analysis11.4Sharing lessons learned across sites11.5API RP 754 process safety indicators11.6Sector benchmarking with IOGP data11.7Knowledge management11.8Communicating findings11.9Action tracking11.10Case study: investigation of a process incident
12.1Organisation and activity analysed12.2Initial diagnosis of operational risks12.3Hazard identification12.4Risk assessment12.5Barrier analysis12.6Risk reduction plan12.7Indicators and monitoring system12.8HSE implementation roadmap12.9Master's Thesis report12.10Master's Thesis: defence before a panel
How you'll learn
100% online learning on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable materials, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. No fixed timetables: you progress at your own pace within each intake, so it fits around your job.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is DNV Phast and Safeti, BowTieXP, Isograph Reliability Workbench, Power BI and Microsoft Excel, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Testing is studied through real procedures: risk assessments in industrial plants, bow-tie and barrier analyses and audits of integrated management systems. Assessment is continuous for each module, plus the final Master's Thesis.
Standards covered: Law 31/1995, Directive 2012/18/EU (Seveso III), ISO 31000, ISO 45001, ISO 14001, IEC 61511, Royal Decree 840/2015, API RP 754.
Build it end to end
Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- University degree in engineering, science or architecture, or equivalent demonstrable professional experience.
- Internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme's software.
- English sufficient to read technical standards.
Ready to start?
Send your application today. Our admissions team replies within 72 hours with your study plan and funding options.
Frequently asked questions
The programme totals 1,900 hours over 12–14 months. You set your own pace within each intake, and your tutor helps you plan the workload around your job.
You work with DNV Phast and Safeti, BowTieXP, Isograph Reliability Workbench, Power BI and Microsoft Excel, using free, academic or evaluation versions. Your tutor indicates the free alternative wherever one exists.
A SEIUM Institute diploma, awarded on passing the continuous assessment and the Master's Thesis. It is SEIUM's own qualification, not an official state degree; its recognition depends on the programme completed and the regulations of each country.
Yes. Modules passed in a course or postgraduate diploma in the same area are recognised in the higher programme. Ask about the recognition policy when you enrol.
A university degree in engineering, science or architecture (or equivalent professional experience), a computer able to run the programme's software and English sufficient to read technical standards.
Start dates are set by SEIUM's faculty for each intake. Our admissions team will confirm the next available date when you apply.
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