Identify hidden organizational risks in time

A resilient organization is prepared for risks, anticipates and reacts quickly

Every organization has risks inherent in its operations. From a continuity perspective, it is important to ensure that risks are not uncontrolled. If it is observed that the probability of a particular risk has increased, or that its effects are significant in the event of the risk materializing, it must be assessed: is the risk is:

1. such that its source should be removed from a legal perspective alone,
2. such that it is part of the nature of the operation and the risk is currently controlled by right measures,
3. such that it can and should be removed by development measures to be initiated, or
4. so unlikely that the risk can be monitored and evaluated and measures can be taken at a later stage if necessary.

A comprehensive monitoring uncovers hidden risk sources

The methodology and evaluation frameworks are often criticized, and not without reason. However, it sometimes happens that using a general, established evaluation framework makes it possible to identify things that may not necessarily be apparent from day-to-day monitoring. Risks in the workplace are often calculated for events that are highly unlikely. Without checklists, identifying such risk sources without checklists can be a time-consuming task or, at the very least, require a comprehensive analysis of every stage of the work and equipment.

Unfortunately, workplaces do not always have the time resources available for such a comprehensive analysis. In addition, point-by-point analysis does not always allow for monitoring of long-term trends and risk is only realized over time - so what's the solution?

Picture. An example on 2D risk assessment.

How to manage risks effectively?

The solution we propose is to carry out risk assessments for the evaluation targets specified in occupational safety and health legislation as a 2D assessment, to assess both the probabilities of the risks and the severity of the harm for each risk source at the same time.

We also propose that the evaluation work be crowdsourced to different parts of the workplace in order to identify different types of work risks. The results can be pulled together at an organizational level and trend analysis can be done over different evaluation periods. A continuous monitoring procedure can then be established, whereby if a particular risk source is identified as serious and/or probable, an automatic notification is made to occupational safety and health personnel and management. 

So get the basics right, repeat at appropriate intervals, quickly respond to emerging deficiencies and get an overview of risks in one assessment report.

How is this type of monitoring established?

Our solution is based on Zeffi Workplace Risk Assessment template, which enables a 2D assessment and have detailed check lists for different segments of risk assessment. Evaluation targets can be adapted to the risks that are most relevant to your organization. Potential risks can therefore be removed or changed depending on the nature of your workplace's operations. 

Practical steps for starting the assessment:

1. Open the Workplace Risk Assessment template. 

2. Familiarize yourself with the risks to be assessed and adapt the template to your organization's situation.

3. Use the 2D assessment specified in the template to assess both the probability of the risks and the severity of the harm.

4. Publish the survey and send the link to the survey to all assessors. Before sharing the survey consider whether you want to make the assessment anonymous or if the respondent needs to be able to identify themselves in order to be able to ask for additional information or manage the risks. If the survey is anonymous, use an appropriate organizational structure or other means to get information about where the risks occur.

5. Analyze the results. The risk assessment targets that are most likely to be at risk are higher up in the figure and the ones that are most harmful to the right. Note that you can select a section of the organization for the report by activating it by clicking on the report. You can also easily compare workplaces by setting two or more targets to the same 2D graph.

6. Plan corrective measures. Start with the most likely risk factors or the factors which are assessed to have the highest potential impact.

7. Option. Do you want to activate automatic notifications if a particular risk that has been set for monitoring rises in the assessment in terms of probability or severity?

8. After you have gone through this assessment cycle, schedule the next one. Assessment is not a project, but a process. The benefits of continuous and systematic assessment are indisputable.

Did you notice that Zeffi has plenty of ready-made survey templates, created by professionals?

Try Zeffi survey tool: