Safety Management Risk Assessment Process

Risk Assessment Process

• Involves analyzing safety risks linked to identified hazards by measuring probability and severity of consequences.
• A systematic approach to evaluating potential adverse outcomes and necessary safety actions.

Probability of Adverse Consequences

• Requires assessment of the likelihood of harm based on historical data, equipment status, personnel procedures, and potential organizational or regulatory impacts.
• Probabilities expressed through various time-based units (e.g., flight hours vs. operational hours).
• Categorization of likelihood:
  • Extremely Improbable: Occurs almost never, possibly once in a lifetime.
  • Improbable: Unlikely but may occur under rare conditions.
  • Remote: Exists some reasonable potential for occurrence.
  • Occasional: Likely to happen periodically, indicating systemic issues.
  • Frequent: High chance of reoccurrence, necessitating urgent action.

Severity of Consequences

• Assessment of adverse effects if an event occurs, impacting urgency of safety responses.
• Key questions include potential loss of life, property damage extent, environmental impact, and political repercussions.
• Severity levels defined:
  • Catastrophic: Major fatalities, extensive damage.
  • Hazardous: Serious injuries, significant operational impairment.
  • Major: Notable incidents leading to injuries.
  • Minor: Minor disruptions or incidents.
  • Negligible: Little to no consequence.

Risk Assessment Matrix

• Combines probability of occurrence with severity of consequences to determine risk acceptability.
• Categorizes risks into acceptable, undesirable, and unacceptable levels, guiding resource allocation.

Risk Acceptability

• Risks prioritization is vital for efficient resource allocation against significant safety hazards.
• Definitions of risk responses:
  • Monitor: Low concern, may consider further risk reduction.
  • Action: Addressable to bring risks down to acceptable levels.
  • Unacceptable: Intolerable risks requiring major mitigative measures.

Risk Mitigation

• Absolute safety is unattainable; risks must be managed to a level as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP).
• Mitigation strategies aim to lower severity of consequences, likelihood of occurrence, or exposure duration to the risk.

Defense Analysis

• Safety systems include defenses that either:
  • Reduce probability of unwanted events.
  • Mitigate consequences of unwanted events.
• Types of defenses:
  • Physical: Equipment designed to prevent hazards or mitigate impact.
  • Administrative: Procedures and practices improving safety through oversight.

Risk Mitigation Strategies

• Exposure Avoidance: Avoiding high-risk tasks.
• Loss Reduction: Minimizing frequency or impact of unsafe events.
• Segregation: Isolating risk impacts through redundancy or separation strategies.

Brainstorming for Risk Mitigation

• Innovative and inclusive idea generation is crucial for developing effective mitigation measures.
• Broad participation helps to challenge biases and encourage diverse solutions.

Evaluating Risk Mitigation Options

• Effectiveness of proposed measures requires thorough evaluation focusing on:
  • Overall effectiveness.
  • Cost versus benefit ratio.
  • Feasibility and staff acceptability.
  • Durability against potential new risks.
• Preference for actions that eliminate risks entirely, though these may be cost-prohibitive.