RISK MANAGEMENT
MRS TRAINING & RESCUE
DIRECTORS - WHAT KEEPS
YOU AWAKE AT NIGHT?
32
HSE INTERNATIONAL
INTRODUCTION
These days it is widely recognised that it is unacceptable
and morally wrong to injure our workforce. In addition to
this, the introduction of the Corporate Manslaughter and
Homicide Act provides criminal liabilities where serious
management failures result in a workplace fatality. So
how does a ‘caring company’ measure and monitor key
performance around major and fatal hazards, which will
allow a degree of comfort at the highest level within the
organisation, the Board of Directors? It is important that
Directors understand business risk, none more so than that
of health and safety.
The key difference between the two hazards is that ‘major’
can be described as having potential for a multiple fatality
event (e.g. fire/explosion, mass transport of people) and ‘fatal’
is the potential for a single fatality event (e.g. electrocution,
fall from height). These can also be referred to as process and
personal safety. Producing and effec tively managing Critical
Hazard Indicators relevant to these hazards gives an indication
that critical elements of the risk control are being carried out
proactively for these hazards.
The indicators produced can be monitored at different
levels of the organisation up to and including Board level,
albeit the level of detail may vary at different levels of the
structure.
RISK ASSESSMENT
To produce Critical Hazard Indicators, the real hazards
and ultimately controls, need to be understood. This can
be achieved by carrying out a high level ‘Bow Tie’ risk
assessment process. There are many relatively complex
Bow Tie systems on the market, but it can be done by using
a basic easy to follow approach.
So what is Bow Tie? In simplistic terms, after identifying
the hazard, it initially looks at potential causes (or the
thing, if not controlled, could give rise to risk). After this,
preventative measures (barriers to prevent the potential
cause becoming an unwanted event) are considered. The
second half of the Bow Tie approach looks at mitigation or
limiting the impact should the unwanted event materialise.
As with any risk assessment process, it is important
to use key personnel who have the required knowledge
(including operators) to not only identify hazards and
controls but also to assist with determining the relevant
Critical Hazard Indicators.