Site, surroundings and exposure
Location, operational role, construction, compartmentation, separation, emergency access, neighbours, value concentrations, CAPEX and security.
ROUX AFRIQUE EVS · AFRICA & THE MIDDLE EAST
ENGINEERING RISK SURVEY
FOR INSURANCE & REINSURANCE
EXPOSURE · PROTECTION · RESILIENCE
A site cannot be reduced to its sum insured or a fire-protection checklist
Roux Afrique EVS provides a documented technical view of operations, processes, critical assets, hazards, safeguards, dependencies, recovery capability and loss scenarios.
Every material conclusion is traceable to the survey date and scope, as well as to documented observations, source records and explicitly stated assumptions.
DECISION-GRADE INFORMATION
Turn a technical visit into decision-grade information
A visual inspection alone is not an Engineering Risk Survey.
A defensible assignment connects the site's physical reality, processes, safeguards, operating and maintenance practices, dependencies, potential financial consequences and insurance-programme limits.
- Which events could create the largest losses?
- Which barriers prevent occurrence or limit escalation?
- Are those barriers suitable, available, tested and maintained?
- Where are the critical concentrations and single points of failure?
- How long would stabilisation, repair, replacement and restart take?
- Which actions materially reduce frequency, severity or downtime?
Stakeholders
CEOCOOCFOIndustrial leadershipRisk & Insurance ManagersHSEMaintenanceEngineeringBusiness ContinuityBrokersInsurersReinsurersLendersInvestors
STRUCTURED TECHNICAL REVIEW
Eight workstreams shaped around the actual risk
Processes, materials and hazards
Flows, pressure, temperature, flammables, gas, dust, incompatibilities, ignition, fire, explosion, BLEVE and safe shutdown.
- This does not automatically replace a detailed HAZOP, LOPA, QRA or ATEX study.
Fire prevention and protection
Detection, water supply, pumps, mains, hydrants, hose reels, monitors, sprinklers, deluge, foam, passive protection, testing, maintenance and response.
Machinery, electrical and utilities
Critical equipment, rotating machinery, transformers, cables, protection, backup power, controls, condition monitoring, strategic spares and obsolescence.
Natural and external hazards
Flood, coastal surge, earthquake, wind, lightning, ground movement, heat, water stress, wildfire and external infrastructure failure.
Business Interruption and continuity
Capacity, bottlenecks, dependencies, Single Points of Failure, suppliers, customers, buffers, transfer options, rebuild and ramp-up.
Maintenance and risk governance
Accountability, work permits, hot work, isolation, contractors, Management of Change, incidents, emergency plans and recommendation tracking.
Insurance data and values
Insured scope, Statement of Values, PD and BI values, deductibles, limits, sublimits, indemnity periods and scenario consistency.
- The assignment does not certify declared values.
LOSS SCENARIOS
A loss scenario must be explicit and reproducible
EML, PML and MFL have no single definition applied uniformly across all markets.
Before calculation, terminology, scope, initiating event, credited or failed protection, values, downtime, mitigation, uncertainty and exclusions are defined.
Estimated Maximum Loss — EML
A severe yet technically credible scenario based on agreed assumptions for safeguards, response and escalation.
Probable Maximum Loss — PML
A major-loss scenario using the client's or market's definition, identifying every safeguard receiving credit.
Maximum Foreseeable Loss — MFL
A reasonably foreseeable extreme scenario incorporating the agreed protection-failure or unavailability assumptions.
Each scenario states
- 01initiating event
- 02affected area
- 03escalation mechanism
- 04safeguards and separation
- 05damaged assets
- 06property-damage and production consequences
- 07repair and recovery times
- 08values used
- 09mitigation
- 10key uncertainties
These scenarios are never simple percentages of the sum insured.
METHODOLOGY
From observation to recommendation in eight steps
- 01
Scope
Define purpose, users, sites, standards, deliverables and available values.
- 02
Prepare
Review documents, issue the Data Request List and plan visits and interviews.
- 03
Understand
Document processes, critical assets, utilities, flows and dependencies.
- 04
Inspect
Observe accessible installations, safeguards, practices and available evidence.
- 05
Challenge consistency
Compare statements, documents, history, field observations and tests; record contradictions and limitations.
- 06
Model scenarios
Make escalation, protection, repair and recovery assumptions explicit.
- 07
Prioritise
Rank actions by impact on frequency, severity, downtime and information quality.
- 08
Report & follow up
Conduct a factual review, complete the independent QA/QC review before issuing the final report and track recommendations where included in the mandate.
Every material conclusion must be traceable to an observation, source document, item of data, assumption or explicitly stated limitation.
EXECUTABLE ACTIONS
Recommendations designed for implementation
An actionable recommendation links the finding and scenario to a verifiable action.
- unique ID
- risk or vulnerability
- facts and evidence
- scenario
- required action
- expected benefit
- priority
- proposed owner
- target date
- status
- closure evidence
Immediate
Interim control, restriction, enhanced monitoring or urgent action.
Priority
Structural action addressing a material vulnerability or critical barrier.
Planned improvement
Measure integrated into CAPEX, maintenance, organisation or continuous improvement.
Cost alone does not determine priority. Closure requires appropriate evidence and may require a new visit for critical actions.
DATA ROOM
A Data Room proportionate to the risk
Depending on scope, the review may use:
- site plans, layouts, PFDs and P&IDs
- material inventories and safety data sheets
- critical-equipment lists and single-line diagrams
- existing HAZOP, ATEX and QRA studies
- fire-protection files and hydraulic calculations
- test, inspection and maintenance records
- failure, incident and loss history
- condition monitoring and strategic spares
- emergency and Business Continuity Plans
- available CAT data
- Statement of Values, BI values and indemnity periods
- previous survey reports, recommendations, CAPEX and Management of Change
Missing, outdated, conflicting or unverifiable information is recorded in a Data Gap & Assumption Register.
INDEPENDENT QA/QC
Independent QA/QC review before issue
The review covers scope, evidence, values, calculations and overall report consistency.
- alignment with mandate and field observations
- source traceability
- separation of fact, statement, assumption and judgement
- consistency of values
- definition and calculation of EML, PML and MFL
- repair, replacement and recovery periods
- dependencies and Single Points of Failure
- alignment of findings, scenarios and recommendations
- access and data limitations
- tables, appendices and photographs
- critical recommendations
- version control and independent review
A report must not be described as exhaustive unless the available level of access, testing, documentation, time and expertise is sufficient to support that conclusion.
DIGITAL TRACEABILITY
Inventys® and VRA3D supporting traceability
Technology strengthens expertise; it does not replace controls or professional judgement.
Inventys®
Structures information by site, area and asset.
- findings and evidence
- scenarios and recommendations
- owners and deadlines
- missing documents
- closure evidence
- versions and multi-site consolidation
VRA3D
Provides visual and spatial documentation where authorised.
- buildings and technical areas
- critical equipment
- separation and access
- visible protection
- asset concentrations
- interfaces between installations
Inventys® does not convert a statement into verified data. VRA3D is not an integrity test, regulatory certification or substitute for specialist inspection.
DELIVERABLES
Outputs designed for prevention and underwriting decisions
Depending on scope:
- 01Engineering Risk Survey Report
- 02Executive Underwriting Summary
- 03site, process and critical-asset overview
- 04Risk Mapping
- 05EML, PML and MFL scenarios
- 06property-damage consequences and operational impacts
- 07dependencies and Single Points of Failure
- 08fire, machinery, electrical and utilities review
- 09CAT review
- 10resilience and recovery times
- 11prioritised Recommendation Register
- 12Data Gap & Assumption Register
- 13photographic record and annotated plans
- 14multi-site dashboard and VRA3D documentation
- 15draft report, final report issued after independent QA/QC review, and agreed follow-up
DECISION POINTS
When should an Engineering Risk Survey be commissioned?
- before a major renewal or first placement
- at an insurer's or reinsurer's request
- after an acquisition, extension, CAPEX project or process change
- after a major incident or loss
- when scenarios or values are missing or outdated
- when previous survey recommendations are no longer tracked
- where values are highly concentrated
- before financing, refinancing or Project Finance
- where a critical dependency is suspected
- for a harmonised multi-site programme
A previous survey may no longer reflect the current risk. The appropriate review frequency depends on material changes, risk criticality and insurance-programme requirements.
SECTOR EXPERTISE
Sectors requiring specialist engineering judgement
Teams are selected for the technology, process, location and scenarios under review.
Energy & UtilitiesOil, Gas & PetrochemicalsMining, Metals & MaterialsIndustry & ManufacturingAgribusinessInfrastructureTransport, Ports & LogisticsTelecommunications & Digital InfrastructureReal Estate, Hospitality & Major Asset PortfoliosHealthcare & Critical ServicesConcessions & Public-Private PartnershipsMulti-site Portfolios
A generic approach cannot replace the required sector expertise.
DISTINCT EXPERTISE
A responsible mandate. Distinct professional scopes.
Engineering Risk Survey — Roux Afrique EVS
Assesses hazards, vulnerabilities, safeguards, dependencies, technical recovery times and loss scenarios.
Insurable Asset Valuation — EVS
Separately determines valuation bases, replacement or reconstruction costs and the Statement of Values.
Pre-loss Business Interruption — EVS
Establishes insurable gross profit, BI values, financial dependencies and indemnity periods.
Risk Advisory — Roux Afrique Advisory
Reviews programme architecture, Risk Financing, governance and Insurance Due Diligence.
Claims Management — Roux Afrique Claims
After a loss, documents and quantifies damage, builds the claim and defends it.
Cyber Risk Assessment & Cyber Claims Adjusting — Roux Cyber
Provides the cyber risk dashboard for insurance and reinsurance and, after a loss, acts exclusively on behalf of the insured as a Cyber Claims Adjuster.
REFERENCES
Standards selected for the risk and mandate
Local law, contractual requirements, client rules and competent-authority requirements remain decisive.
- 01ISO 31000 and IEC 31010
- 02ISO 22301 and ISO 22313
- 03applicable NFPA standards
- 04FM Property Loss Prevention Data Sheets where relevant
- 05APSAD rules and CNPP references where applicable
- 06IEC, API, ASME, IEEE and sector standards
- 07client procedures
- 08specific insurer, reinsurer or lender requirements
Reference to a standard is not certification or a comprehensive compliance audit.
Edition, scope and hierarchy are defined for each assignment.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Understand the scope before the assignment
What is an Engineering Risk Survey?
A structured review of operations, hazards, critical assets, safeguards, dependencies and loss scenarios supporting prevention and insurance or reinsurance decisions.
How does it differ from an HSE audit?
HSE focuses mainly on health, safety and environment. The survey focuses on property damage, interruption, value concentration, resilience and insurability.
Is it a regulatory certification?
No. It may review available compliance evidence but does not replace competent authorities or inspection bodies.
What is the difference between EML, PML and MFL?
Meanings vary by market. Events, safeguards, separation, values and assumptions are defined for each assignment.
Can a scenario be calculated without a reliable Statement of Values?
An estimate may be prepared with explicit qualifications, a limited confidence level and clearly stated sources, adjustments and uncertainties.
Does the report decide whether insurers accept the risk?
No. It informs technical analysis; acceptance, pricing, capacity and terms remain with insurers and reinsurers.
Are fire systems tested during the visit?
Only where tests are authorised, planned, safe and included. Otherwise, available installations, records and test results are reviewed.
Can the survey be fully remote?
Desk review can prepare or update selected elements but is not equivalent to field inspection where physical observation is necessary.
Is asset valuation included?
No. Insurable asset valuation is a separate assignment, although the work can be coordinated.
Is detailed BI quantification included?
The survey identifies scenarios, dependencies and technical periods. Detailed BI values require a specific assignment.
How is a recommendation closed?
Through review of photographs, certificates, test reports or other suitable evidence; critical actions may require a follow-up visit.
How long is a report valid?
It describes the risk as at a specific date. Material changes to processes, values, safeguards, utilities or dependencies may require an update.
BETTER-EVIDENCED RISK
The market does not need a longer report. It needs a better-evidenced risk.
Share information on your sites, operations and values, together with previous survey reports and the decisions the survey must inform. Roux Afrique EVS will define the required scope, specialist disciplines, Data Room, scenarios and deliverables.
Speak with Roux Afrique EVS