Risk Assessments Flashcards
What is a Personal Risk Assessment?
As an individual you carry out personal risk assessments multiple times a day, often without conscious thought - for example, determining when is safest to cross the road.
This is equally true at an emergency incident where it is expected that personnel will be constantly assessing the risk that they are exposed to and coming to a decision about the benefit of their actions. This may be influenced by a number of factors including, but limited to:
Operational experience
Risk appetite
The nature/pace/complexity of the incident
The task being performed
Moral pressure
Physical or emotional stressors
What is a Dynamic Risk Assessment?
Incident commanders should be aware of the immediate hazards at an incident ground, which is the workplace for firefighters - that is, who is at risk and the safety control measures needed to protect them. This risk assessment, called a dynamic risk assessment, should determine the reasonably practicable measures that commanders should take to control the risk. The DRA process recognises that an assessment of risk is often carried in a rapidly changing environment at an incident where decisions are sometimes made in fast-moving situations, with incomplete or inaccurate information.
The outcome of the DRA will assist the Incident Commander in their decision making and inform the tactical mode and hazard area declared for the incident.
What is an Analytical Risk Assessment?
This is a formalised assessment of the hazards, who is at risk and measured scoring of likelihood and severity of risk. This provides a validation of the initial DRA, conformation of tactics employed and secures a more formal operational risk management process that is suitable and sufficient.
The Incident Commander holds overall responsibility of ensuring that the ARA is completed at relevant incidents where one is deemed necessary, but it is usually completed by a Safety Officer. The significant findings of the ARA have to be recorded and the frequency of its review should, using professional judgement, be sufficient to meet the demands of the incident. The key findings of the ORA should be shared with all responders that are at the incident. This information may then form part of the multi-agency decision making process at the incident.
What is an Environmental Risk Assessment?
At incidents that present a significant potential risk to the environment it is advisable to carry out an Environmental Risk Assessment. This form uses a simple formula to calculate the level of environmental risk that is present at an incident and should help to inform the Incident Commander’s tactical plan to resolve the incident with minimal environmental harm.
This form should be completed by, or at least under the supervision of, a Hazardous Materials and Environmental Protection Advisor (HMEPA).
