Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA) Level 1 Course
Online 300-hour course in Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA) Level 1. 6 modules covering IAEA SSG-3 (Rev.1) (Level 1 PSA), ASME/ANS RA-Sa-2009 (PSA standard) and RiskSpectrum PSA. Assigned tutor and open enrolment.
Take the controls.
Run a real engineering trade-off from this programme. Move the sliders, watch the model react in real time and beat the challenge.
What you will be able to do
Explain the fundamentals and scope of Level 1 probabilistic safety analysis.
Identify initiating events and construct accident sequences.
Model systems using fault trees, including common cause failures and human errors.
Quantify core damage frequency and its uncertainties.
Interpret importance measures and sensitivity analysis.
Apply PSA results to risk-informed decisions.
Develop a simplified PSA model of a safety system.
Who it's for
- PSA analyst wishing to specialise in Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA) Level 1.
- Reliability engineer wishing to specialise in Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA) Level 1.
- Nuclear safety engineer wishing to specialise in Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA) Level 1.
- Risk management technician wishing to specialise in Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA) Level 1.
- Risk analysis consultant wishing to specialise in Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA) Level 1.
- Regulatory body technician wishing to specialise in Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA) Level 1.
- Graduates in engineering or science seeking to join nuclear power plants.
What you'll work with
- IAEA SSG-3 (Rev.1) (Level 1 PSA)
- ASME/ANS RA-Sa-2009 (PSA standard)
- NRC Regulatory Guide 1.200 (technical quality of PSA)
- NRC Regulatory Guide 1.174 (risk-informed decisions)
- NUREG/CR-6928 (average component reliability)
- NUREG-1855 (treatment of uncertainties)
- IEC 61025 (fault tree analysis)
- IEC 62502 (event tree analysis)
6 modules · 300 h
1.1Deterministic and probabilistic approaches1.2Questions answered by a probabilistic study1.3Levels one, two and three and their scope1.4Metrics: core damage and release frequency1.5History of the method and its regulatory role1.6Applications to design, operation and maintenance1.7Scope of a study and its limits1.8Structure of a Level 1 study1.9Applicable standards and guides1.10Exercise: identifying the scope of a study
2.1Identification and grouping of initiators2.2Transients, loss-of-coolant accidents and support events2.3Internal events: fire and flooding2.4External events: earthquakes and extreme conditions2.5Initiator frequency and its estimation2.6Required safety functions2.7Event trees and their construction2.8Success and failure criteria for each heading2.9Damage and safe shutdown sequences2.10Practice: constructing an event tree
3.1Fault trees and logic gates3.2System boundaries and support dependencies3.3Component failures and failure modes considered3.4Pre-initiator and post-initiator human errors3.5Common cause failures and their modelling3.6Unavailability due to maintenance and testing3.7Reliability data and its sources3.8Bayesian estimation of failure rates3.9Minimal cut sets3.10Practice: constructing and solving a fault tree
4.1Integration of event trees and fault trees4.2Quantification of core damage frequency4.3Dominant contributors and their interpretation4.4Importance measures and their meaning4.5Sensitivity analysis4.6Treatment and propagation of uncertainty4.7Verification of model reasonableness4.8Common software tools4.9Study documentation4.10Practice: interpreting the contributors of a case
5.1Risk-informed decisions5.2Assessment of design and licence changes5.3Optimisation of testing and maintenance5.4Online risk indicators5.5Management of high-risk configurations5.6Risk-based inspection5.7Classification of components by importance5.8Maintaining a living and up-to-date study5.9Independent review and study quality5.10Practice: assessing a change using risk criteria
6.1Selection of the facility and scope6.2List of initiating events and their grouping6.3Event trees for the main sequences6.4Fault trees for two safety systems6.5Reliability data and its justification6.6Quantification and dominant contributors6.7Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis6.8Practical applications of the results6.9Study report6.10Project defence
How you'll learn
100% online training on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable material, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. No fixed timetables: students progress at their own pace within the enrolment period, making it possible to combine the course with work.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is RiskSpectrum PSA, SAPHIRE, CAFTA, Python (uncertainty analysis), in free, academic or evaluation versions. Case studies are based on real procedures for constructing event and fault trees, quantifying core damage frequency, and analysing importance and sensitivity. Assessment is continuous per module plus the final integrating project.
Build it end to end
Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.
Explain the fundamentals and scope of Level 1 probabilistic safety analysis.
Identify initiating events and construct accident sequences.
Model systems using fault trees, including common cause failures and human errors.
Quantify core damage frequency and its uncertainties.
Interpret importance measures and sensitivity analysis.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- No previous degree required.
- Internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme software.
- Spanish proficiency sufficient to follow the reading of 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 300 hours spread over 3 to 5 months. That is an average of 10 to 15 hours a week, compatible with a full-time job.
You work with RiskSpectrum PSA, SAPHIRE, CAFTA, Python (uncertainty analysis). Free, academic or evaluation versions are used, and the tutor indicates the free alternative where one exists.
An own diploma from SEIUM upon passing the continuous assessment and the integrating project. It is in-house training, not an official qualification from the Ministry.
Yes. Modules passed in a course or postgraduate diploma in the same area are recognised in the higher programme. Check the credit recognition policy when you enrol.
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