TSA Insight Magazine Issue 7 - Magazine - Page 13
Communicating a risk assessment
should be more than just a pass or fail
against tolerability criteria.
HSE ALARP Triangle
for the judgement of facility risk. Thought
should therefore be given to whether or
not adjustments are required for single
and representative scenarios.
By far the
majority of risk assessments conducted
are for single scenarios, and so direct
comparison to the HSE tolerability criteria is
not appropriate.
Communicating Risk
The technicalities above describe which
know the key hazards and what to do in an
methods can be used to present risk
emergency. Consider the most appropriate
against tolerability criteria, but it doesn’t
way to make sure that the message is
matter how detailed a risk assessment is
being received. Is a general awareness of
if it cannot be properly communicated to
major accident hazards through training
those who make decisions and those who
and inductions enough for the wider
are exposed to the risk. Communicating a
workforce, and how can the competence
risk assessment should be more than just a
of decision makers in understanding risk
pass or fail against tolerability criteria.
be assured? Note the focus on leadership
In many contexts, the go-to for risk
by the COMAH Competent Authority within
presentation is a matrix as they are
COMAH Intervention Plans this year means
considered simple and visual, but it
that, more than ever, these assurances
should be remembered that they are most
need to be in place and auditable. The
appropriate for societal risk and can be
consequences of misunderstanding risk
misleading if tolerability is defined based
can be significant and so the method
on individual risk. A risk matrix certainly
used to present risk must adequately
presents a risk picture, but it is only a
reflect what has been assessed. It must be
useful tool when both the resolution and
aligned to the correct tolerability criteria
the tolerability criteria presented reflect its
and reflect the scale of hazard that is being
purpose.
assessed. Separating the concepts of risk
Employers must share safety information
tolerance and risk management can help
with whomever that information might
make understanding of those risks more
affect. How this information is shared can
accessible and provide greater assurance
be proportionate to individual roles and
that resource provision and planning is
their responsibilities for risk management.
focussed in the right places.
Presentation of risk against tolerability isn’t
necessarily the best way to help decision
Carolyn Nicholls, Operations Director, and
makers allocate resources in the right
Jennifer Hill, Risk and Hazard Management
places and is even less helpful to other
Consultant, RAS Ltd. For more information,
roles where they may simply need to
write to RAS at enquiries@ras.ltd.uk.
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