Risk Flashcards
What are the building blocks of a risk picture (bow-tie diagram)?
Risk sources, preventative controls, event, responsive controls, consequences.
Describe the Simplified/Crude Risk Analysis method
Type of analysis: Qualitative.
Description: Informal procedure that establishes risk picture using brainstorming sessions and group discussions.
Describe the Standard Risk Analysis method.
Type of analysis: Qualitative or Quantitative.
Description: Formalised procedure using methods such as coarse/preliminary risk analysis etc.
Describe the Model-based Risk Analysis method.
Type of analysis: Quantitative with qualitative evaluation.
Description: Model-based analysis using techniques such as event trees, fault trees, Monte Carlo etc.
Why Risk Analysis?
- Establish an understanding of consequences and uncertainties (a risk picture).
- Systematise and describe the knowledge and lack of knowledge.
- Identify factors, conditions, activities, systems, components … that are important/critical with respect to risk.
- Compare different alternatives and solutions. Demonstrate the effect of various risk reduction strategies.
What is the Planning step of the Risk Process?
- Establish the context
- What are the objectives?
- What are you measuring?
- What do you plan to do with the information?
What is the Assessment step of the Risk Process?
- Identification of intiating event
- Cause analysis
- Consequence analysis
- Uncertainties
- Evaluate whether the risk is acceptable
What is the Treatment step of the Risk Process?
Take steps to reduce the risk
- Compare alternatives, identification and assessment of measures
- Review and judge
Decision making with uncertainty involves …
- The situation
- Goal-setting, preferences, and performance measures
- Decision criteria
- Review and judgement by the decision-maker
Define Risk.
The consequences of an activity and associated uncertainties (according to the Socity of Risk Analysis Glossary 2015).
What is the time component of risk?
The duration for which the activity/system is examined.
What is a direct risk?
When there is a direct link between a hazard and an element at risk that is exposed and vulnerable.
What is an indirect risk?
When a risk is removed from a hazard - for example, impacts on mental health, disruptions to supply chains, migration, social wellbeing, and cohesion.
What are Cascading Impact Diagrams?
A type of systems map.
Shows the complex inter-relationships between the effects of climate change hazards and stressors on the things we value.
For example, the effect of coastal hazard on natural environment, built environment, social, Te Ao Maori, Economic, Governance, …
When describing risk, you must consider …
Consequence:
- What can happen?
- What are the consequences?
Uncertainty:
- What is the likelihood that will happen, and those are the consequences?
- What is the knowledge supporting these judgements?
- How strong is this knowledge?
Over what timeframe do you consider the activity / evaluate the consequence.
We must be careful when thinking risk is inherently tied to probability because …
- Assumptions can conceal important aspects of risk and uncertainties.
- Presumes existence of probability models.
- The probabilities can be the same, but the knowledge they are built on is strong or weak.
- Surprises occur.
What are 3 ways we can describe the nature of uncertainty?
Ambiguity
- values behind people’s decisions/judgments –> uncertainty
Epistimic
- from lack of knowledge and understanding of the system
Aleatory
- inherent randomness
When judging the strength of knowledge, consider …
- Are the assumptions reasonable and realistic
- How much data/information exists and is it reliable and relevant
- How much disagreement is there amongst the experts
- How well is the related phenomena understood and do accurate models exist
- How well has the knowledge basis been examined
Explain why risk is subjective (based on your knowledge).
The probability is a measure of uncertainty about the events/outcomes, seen though the eyes of the assessor, based on some background information and knowledge.
It’s our measure of belief that some outcome will occur.
What are surprises / black swans?
Black swans: surprising events given the current knowledge.
- Unknown unknowns (total surprise)
- Unknown knowns (known to some, but unknown to the risk assessor)
- Known knowns (ignored as believe to be very low chance of occurring)
To avoid surprises, we can …
- Provide an overview of the assumptions made
- Assess the risk from deviations to those assumptions (sensitivity)
- Try to reduce the assumptions that have the largest impact on the risk
- Engage a range of individuals and perspectives in the process.
What are some examples of black swans according to Global Risk 2021?
- Accidental war
- Anarchic uprising
- Brain-machine interface exploited
- Collapse of an established democracy
- Permafrost melt releases ancient microorganisms