Safety Risk Assessment

Safety Risk Assessment

Overview

Risk assessment methodology for identified hazards including likelihood and severity evaluation, risk level calculation using organisational risk matrix, assessment of residual risk after controls. Primary agents: HSE Safety Manager, RAMS Review Specialist.

Steps

1. Likelihood Assessment → Evaluate probability of occurrence based on frequency, exposure, historical data, and controls in place (ratings: Rare, Unlikely, Possible, Likely, Almost Certain)
2. Severity Assessment → Evaluate potential impact if hazard materialises based on severity of harm (ratings: Insignificant, Minor, Moderate, Major, Catastrophic)
3. Initial Risk Calculation → Combine likelihood × severity using organisational risk matrix to determine initial risk level
4. Control Assessment → Evaluate adequacy of proposed control measures using hierarchy of controls
5. Residual Risk Calculation → Recalculate risk level after proposed controls applied
6. Risk Acceptance Decision → Compare residual risk against organisational risk tolerance and determine acceptability
7. Documentation → Record all assessments with rationale for decisions

Success Criteria

• All identified hazards assessed with consistent methodology
• Risk ratings accurately reflect the hazard profile
• Controls reduce risk to acceptable levels
• Residual risk documented and accepted by appropriate authority

Common Pitfalls

1. Inconsistent rating application → Use standard definitions and examples
2. Overly conservative ratings → Can waste resources on low real-risk items
3. Missing cumulative risk → Multiple hazards combined may create higher risk
4. Controls not reducing risk to acceptable level → Residual risk still too high

Cross-References

• safety-hazard-identification/SKILL.md — Hazard identification input
• safety-rams-review/SKILL.md — RAMS review process