RSK4801
EXAM PACK
FOR ASSISTANCE WITH THIS MODULE +27 67 171 1739
, lOMoARcPSD|62123117
CONFIDENTIAL RSK4801
Page 1 of 9
May/June 2025
UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS
May/June 2025
RSK4801
OPERATIONAL RISK MANAGEMENT
Total: 100 marks
Duration: 4 hours
STUDENT NUMBER
Examiners
Primary: Prof AT Mutezo
Co-Primary: Dr S Maré
Secondary: Mrs Z Yousuf
External: Dr H Le Roux
INSTRUCTIONS
This online assessment consists of nine pages. Please read the instructions for the Invigilator
App below and scan the QR code.
This paper consists of eight questions with sections A, B and C.
Type your answers in a Word document, number them correctly, and submit the document in PDF
format. This is a closed-book examination, and no hand-written documents will be accepted.
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CONFIDENTIAL RSK4801
Page 2 of 9
May/June 2025
Invigilator app info:
[TURN OVER]
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CONFIDENTIAL RSK4801
Page 3 of 9
May/June 2025
Instructions:
Read the information below and then answer all the questions related to it.
- Remember to submit your final typed document as a PDF on myExams.
- Use Arial 12-point font and 1.5 line spacing to answer the questions.
- Include page numbers in your document and answer the questions in the correct
sequence.
Section A
Case study: Operational risk – Deep Horizon
On 20 April 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig was destroyed by an uncontrolled
eruption of oil and gas. The explosion killed 11 crew members and set off the worst
oil spill in US history. The rig owned by Switzerland-based Transocean Ltd and its
experienced crew were some of the best in the business. BP was the world’s sixth
largest oil company at the time, leasing the oil rig and drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.
Only months earlier, the BP and the Deepwater team celebrated the record for the
deepest oil well ever completed.
Moments before the disaster, an award was handed to the installation manager on
the drilling platform for an excellent safety record. While the award ceremony was
held, high-pressure oil and gas threatened to surge up the pipe from the seafloor.
Despite all their experience and advanced technology, the crew members did not
spot the signs of trouble, and once the blowout started, they did not act quickly
enough to contain it to save the rig. It was mentioned that “disasters are not so much
the initial accident, but the failure to identify the accident early in its birth.”
This disaster was an example of how a series of small mistakes and misjudgements
can escalate into a catastrophe when not caught in time. It was said that BP
consistently made some decisions that favoured speed over safety, and the
company had a reputation for being particularly hard-driving to reach targets. The
Transocean crew was also involved in dubious decision-making, and the federal
regulators who supervised drilling in the Gulf signed off on their plans at every stage.
[TURN OVER]
Downloaded by Pied Zulu ()
EXAM PACK
FOR ASSISTANCE WITH THIS MODULE +27 67 171 1739
, lOMoARcPSD|62123117
CONFIDENTIAL RSK4801
Page 1 of 9
May/June 2025
UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS
May/June 2025
RSK4801
OPERATIONAL RISK MANAGEMENT
Total: 100 marks
Duration: 4 hours
STUDENT NUMBER
Examiners
Primary: Prof AT Mutezo
Co-Primary: Dr S Maré
Secondary: Mrs Z Yousuf
External: Dr H Le Roux
INSTRUCTIONS
This online assessment consists of nine pages. Please read the instructions for the Invigilator
App below and scan the QR code.
This paper consists of eight questions with sections A, B and C.
Type your answers in a Word document, number them correctly, and submit the document in PDF
format. This is a closed-book examination, and no hand-written documents will be accepted.
[TURN OVER]
Downloaded by Pied Zulu ()
, lOMoARcPSD|62123117
CONFIDENTIAL RSK4801
Page 2 of 9
May/June 2025
Invigilator app info:
[TURN OVER]
Downloaded by Pied Zulu ()
, lOMoARcPSD|62123117
CONFIDENTIAL RSK4801
Page 3 of 9
May/June 2025
Instructions:
Read the information below and then answer all the questions related to it.
- Remember to submit your final typed document as a PDF on myExams.
- Use Arial 12-point font and 1.5 line spacing to answer the questions.
- Include page numbers in your document and answer the questions in the correct
sequence.
Section A
Case study: Operational risk – Deep Horizon
On 20 April 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig was destroyed by an uncontrolled
eruption of oil and gas. The explosion killed 11 crew members and set off the worst
oil spill in US history. The rig owned by Switzerland-based Transocean Ltd and its
experienced crew were some of the best in the business. BP was the world’s sixth
largest oil company at the time, leasing the oil rig and drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.
Only months earlier, the BP and the Deepwater team celebrated the record for the
deepest oil well ever completed.
Moments before the disaster, an award was handed to the installation manager on
the drilling platform for an excellent safety record. While the award ceremony was
held, high-pressure oil and gas threatened to surge up the pipe from the seafloor.
Despite all their experience and advanced technology, the crew members did not
spot the signs of trouble, and once the blowout started, they did not act quickly
enough to contain it to save the rig. It was mentioned that “disasters are not so much
the initial accident, but the failure to identify the accident early in its birth.”
This disaster was an example of how a series of small mistakes and misjudgements
can escalate into a catastrophe when not caught in time. It was said that BP
consistently made some decisions that favoured speed over safety, and the
company had a reputation for being particularly hard-driving to reach targets. The
Transocean crew was also involved in dubious decision-making, and the federal
regulators who supervised drilling in the Gulf signed off on their plans at every stage.
[TURN OVER]
Downloaded by Pied Zulu ()
