Summary
In short
- A barrier health check is an inspection used in KnowSafe that checks the barriers named in a bowtie are present and effective, working through the bowtie one branch at a time. It is built against Bowtie practice and forms part of the Critical Control and Fatal Risk programme.
- Run twice a year per major hazard. Carried out by the risk owner.
- The template holds 34 fields across 3 sections, with barriers repeating for each entry.
- Scoring is barrier health percent, where high is good.
- Bowtie practice is bow tie analysis. Maps threats, a top event and consequences, with preventive and mitigating barriers on each side.
- It connects to the rest of the library: links Bowtie Analysis.
What it is
What it is
What is a barrier health check?
A barrier health check is an inspection used in KnowSafe that checks the barriers named in a bowtie are present and effective, working through the bowtie one branch at a time. It is built against Bowtie practice and forms part of the Critical Control and Fatal Risk programme.
When is a barrier health check completed?
A barrier health check is completed on the inspection frequency set in your programme, and again after any change to the asset or area. Run twice a year per major hazard.
When to use it
When to use it, and when not to
This inspection is one step in a larger programme. Using it for work that belongs to a neighbouring template produces records that are hard to report on later.
Use it for
- The event or activity this inspection covers has occurred, or is about to
- A new record is needed; each one gets its own ID in the form BHC-2026-000
- You are running the Critical Control and Fatal Risk programme and this is one of its steps
- A linked record needs this one to exist: links bowtie analysis
Not for
- Critical Control Verification, which checks that a control standing between people and a fatal event is actually in place and working.
- Critical Control Performance Review, which reviews how a set of critical controls has performed over a period, including verification rates and failures.
- Fatal Risk Protocol Audit, which audits compliance with a fatal risk protocol such as working at height, energy isolation or mobile equipment.
- Anything outside KnowSafe, which belongs in the workspace that owns that process
Standards
What it is built against
Bowtie practiceBow tie analysis
Maps threats, a top event and consequences, with preventive and mitigating barriers on each side.
BowtieBow tie analysis
Threats, top event, consequences and the barriers on each side.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is the barrier health check template based on?+
It is built against Bowtie practice. Bowtie practice is bow tie analysis. Maps threats, a top event and consequences, with preventive and mitigating barriers on each side. Bowtie is bow tie analysis. Threats, top event, consequences and the barriers on each side.
What sections does the barrier health check contain?+
There are 3 sections: header, barriers, result. Together they hold 34 fields, 29 of which are required.
How often is a barrier health check raised?+
A new record is raised on the inspection frequency set in your programme, and again after any change to the asset or area. Each one is given an ID in the form BHC-2026-000, so it can be traced and referenced from other records.
Which programme does the barrier health check belong to?+
It is part of Critical Control and Fatal Risk. Named fatal risks with owned critical controls and a verification schedule that is actually run.
How is a barrier health check scored?+
Scoring is barrier health percent. High is good. Scores exist to make the form tell you something, not to produce a percentage for its own sake.
Can the barrier health check template be changed?+
Yes. Every field, option, score and conditional rule is editable, and the links to other templates come with it. Most teams install it as it is, run it for a cycle, then adjust.
The agents
What the agents do with it
The form is the easy part. Keeping it current, routing it to the right owner and holding the evidence together is the work that actually slips.
Holds the barrier health check library against your registers, routes each record to its owner, and keeps the evidence trail together.
Coordinates the crew, rolls completion and exceptions into one view, and holds every write for your approval before it touches a record.
This template lives in KnowSafe — safety and compliance. Incidents, hazards, permits, inspections and the critical controls behind them.
Meet KnowSafe→Sources
Sources
- Bowtie practice — Bow tie analysis
- Bowtie — Bow tie analysis