SafetyInsights.org

This 2004 paper covered a number of pit falls and misuses in risk assessment.

I’ll break it into two posts.

Pit falls:

·      Carrying out a risk assessment to support a decision that has already been made (image 2)

·      Using a generic assessment when a site-specific assessment is needed – here a range of different hazards from different areas are assessed in the single assessment

·      Carrying out a detailed quantified risk assessment without first considering whether any relevant good practice was applicable, or when relevant good practice exists

·      Carrying out a risk assessment using inappropriate good practice

·      Making decisions on the basis of individual risk estimates when societal risk is the appropriate measure (image 3)

·      Only considering the risk from one activity (image 4)

·      Dividing the time spent on the hazardous activity between several individuals––the ‘salami slicing’ approach to risk estimation (image 5)

·      Not involving a team of people in the assessment or not including employees with practical knowledge of the process/activity being assessed

·      Ineffective use of consultants, where their over-reliance can dilute internal responsibility for risk assessment and control

·      Failure to identify all hazards associated with a particular activity (image 6)

Authors: Gadd, S. A., Keeley, D. M., & Balmforth, H. F. (2004). Pitfalls in risk assessment: examples from the UK. Safety Science, 42(9), 841-857.

Study link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2004.03.003     

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