Assessing Risks
What risk is, why we assess it, and the five steps of a practical risk assessment: identify the hazards, estimate and evaluate the risk, record the findings and review them.
Pages in this chapter (1 of 5)
2.1 What Is Risk?
Risk is part of everyone's life. We cannot avoid it, but we can put things in place to manage it well.
Think back to your first driving lesson. You may have been eager to be independent, and also a little nervous about sitting behind the wheel. Learning to drive involves some risk. But you had a qualified instructor next to you, so the risk was well managed. The lessons taught you to manage risk for yourself and gave you a skill that you will use for life. A small risk was worth taking.
Rain on a warehouse roof
Imagine that you own a warehouse distribution company in an old building with a roof that needs repair. You worry about bad weather. A few moments of rain would make no difference. A long downpour would be a problem. So you ask how likely it is to rain.
If you do nothing and it does rain, the damage depends on what is stored below. If the stock is plastic garden furniture, which is made for the outdoors and dries easily, there will be little damage. If the stock is television sets, it is ruined, and the cost to your company is large.
The chance of a downpour damaging garden furniture is very low. The risk to a stack of television sets is much higher. The chance of heavy rain is also higher in winter than in summer. So you would ask two questions: what are the chances that it will rain, and what could be damaged if it did?
The basic terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Hazard | Anything that has the potential to cause harm. It can be a complicated machine or a cup of coffee. |
| Hazardous event | What happens when someone or something meets the hazard and harm results. |
| Likelihood | A measure of the chance that the hazardous event will happen. |
| Consequence (or severity) | The outcome of the hazardous event. |
| Risk | The combination of the likelihood of a hazardous event and its consequence. |
A hole in the ground is a hazard. By itself it harms nobody. If someone trips over it, that is the hazardous event. In a busy shop doorway the likelihood of a trip is higher than in a quiet back yard. The consequence might be nothing at all, a dropped load, a sprained ankle or a fracture.
A study aid, not published or endorsed by IOSH or OSHA. Laws and limits differ between countries.