Root Cause Failure Analysis

Overview

The same failures keep happening in many plants because the fix addresses the symptom: a bearing is replaced, a seal is changed, a gasket is renewed, and a few months later the equipment fails again. Root cause failure analysis breaks this cycle by finding the physical, human and organisational causes behind a failure and correcting them. This course teaches a practical, evidence-based approach to RCFA for mechanical, electrical and process equipment. Participants learn how to preserve evidence, read failure surfaces and wear patterns, and use structured tools such as the 5 whys, cause-and-effect diagrams, logic trees and change analysis. The course explains how to decide which failures deserve a full analysis, how to run an RCFA team, how to write recommendations that remove the cause rather than the symptom, and how to track results so that the same failure does not return.

Objectives

• Explain the difference between physical, human and latent root causes
• Select failures for analysis using cost and risk criteria
• Preserve and collect failure evidence correctly
• Interpret common failure modes of bearings, seals, shafts and gears
• Apply 5 whys, fishbone, logic tree and change analysis tools
• Write recommendations that eliminate root causes
• Track and verify the effectiveness of corrective actions

Who should attend

Training methodology

The course is built around failed components and case files from oil, gas and petrochemical plants. Participants examine photographs and physical samples of failed bearings, seals, shafts and couplings, and work out the failure mechanism from the evidence. Teams then carry out complete RCFAs on recurring pump and compressor failures, using each analysis tool in turn. Recommendations are reviewed for whether they truly address the root cause, and teams present their findings on the last day.

Programme outline

Dates and fees

Certificate

Frequently asked questions