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HOW CAN WE FIX IT?

DISCUSSION: The terms risk management and risk assessmentare often used synonymously, when in fact, they are different. These terms are not synonymous. It is time to set the record straight. RISK MANAGEMENT is a tool that helps leaders make sound logical decisions. Management is a term that leaders do not want to use because leaders do not manage, they LEAD. But when used in a positive command climate, risk management can become a mindset that governs all unit missions and activities.

Risk management enables leaders at all levels to do exactly what the term implies: manage risk. Safety risk management is a specific type of risk management.

Risk management, in theory, is a five-step cyclic process that is easily integrated into the decisionmaking process outlined in FM 101-5, Staff Organization and Operations. The decisionmaking process readily lends itself to safety risk management as a separate consideration. Safety risk management is not a new tool that leaders should use. It is an extension of the decisionmaking process which is already ingrained in military leaders.

RISK ASSESSMENT is a part of risk management. It can range from simple to complex. It can be done formally, during the deliberate planning process, or informally, while conducting a hasty plan. A risk assessment causes leaders to identify hazards and threats and place them in perspective relative to the mission or task at hand. Logically, one cannot identify the risk without first determining what the hazards are.

The risk management process consists of FIVE steps: identify hazards, assess hazards, make risk decisions, implement controls and supervise.

IDENTIFY HAZARDS: Identify the most probable hazards for the mission. Hazards are conditions with the potential of causing injury to personnel, damage to equipment, loss of materiel, or lessening of ability to perform a task or mission. The most probable hazards are those created by readiness shortcomings in the operational environment. As depicted in Figure 2, these hazards impact on man and machine. The human error problem areas discussed in the previous section are generic examples of those hazards. When a list of frequently recurring hazards (see Appendix K) is applied to a specific task or mission, the most probable hazards can be identified.

ASSESS HAZARDS: Once the most probable hazards are identified, analyze each to determine the probability of its causing an accident and the probable effect of the accident. Also, identify control options to eliminate or reduce the hazard. A tool to use is the Army Standard Risk Assessment Matrix (Figure 3).

Some factors to consider in Risk Management:

Level
of activity                       Hazardous materials used

Inherent
dangers of equipment used      Environmental concerns

Operational
conditions                  Complexity of movement

Personnel/organization
proficiency      Supervision

Weather
                                Complexity of mission

Condition
of personnel                  Level of planning

Availability
of protective equipment    Adequacy of site

Accident
frequency                      Adequacy of directions given 

EFFECT:

1. CATASTROPHIC. Death or permanent total disability, system loss, major property damage.

2. CRITICAL. Permanent partial disability, temporary total disability in excess of 3 months, major system damage, significant property damage.

3. MARGINAL. Minor injury, lost workday accident, compensable injury/illness, minor system damage, minor property damage.

4. NEGLIGIBLE. First aid or minor supportive medical treatment, minor system impairment.

PROBABILITY:

A. FREQUENT Indiv Soldiers/Item Occurs often in career/equipment service life. All Soldiers Exposed or Continuously experienced.

B. LIKELY Indiv Soldiers/Item Occurs several times in career/equip service life. All Soldiers Exposed or Occurs frequently.

C. OCCASIONAL Indiv Soldiers/Item Occurs sometime in career/equip service life. All Soldiers Exposed or Occurs sporadically or several times in inventory service life.

D. REMOTE Indiv Soldiers/Item Possible to occur in career/equip service life. All Soldiers Exposed or Remote chance of occurrence; expected to occur sometime in inventory service life.

E. UNLIKELY Indiv Soldiers/Item Can assume will not occur in career/equipment service life. All Soldiers Exposed or Possible, but improbable; occurs very rarely.

NOTE: Unit experience and exposure affect probability of occurrence.

RISK LEVELS:

EXTREMELY HIGH RISK: Loss of ability to accomplish mission.
HIGH RISK: Significantly degrades mission capabilities in terms of required mission standards.
MEDIUM RISK: Degrades mission capabilities in terms of required mission standards.
LOW RISK: Little or no impact on accomplishment of mission.
RESIDUAL RISK: Risk remaining after risk reduction efforts.

MAKE RISK DECISIONS: Weigh the risk against the benefits of performing the operation. Accept no unnecessary risks, and make any residual risk decisions at the proper level of command.

IMPLEMENT CONTROLS: Integrate specific controls (identified in step two above) into plans, OPLANs, OPORDs, SOPs, and rehearsals. Communicate controls down to the individual soldier.

SUPERVISE: Determine the effectiveness of controls in reducing the probability and effect of identified hazards. Ensure that risk control measures are performing as expected. Include follow-up during and after action to ensure all went according to plan, reevaluating or adjusting the plan as required, and developing lessons learned.

How can my soldiers get hurt, and what can I do about it???

The direct cause of the accident was an unlicensed, untrained driver who disobeyed his NCO's instructions. However, the NCO himself set the scenario for this tragedy. There are always hazards associated with parking a heavy vehicle on a downhill slope. There are hazards when these vehicles are left unchocked and dependent solely on parking brakes. And there are hazards whenever untrained, unlicensed operators are involved. This leader allowed hazards to pile one on top of another because he did not enforce standards. Unchecked, these hazards were combined with a soldier having a "can-do" attitude and his failure to follow instructions which turned a seemingly low-risk operation into a high-risk operation.

LESSON(S): RULES FOR RISK MANAGEMENT:

• Integrate risk management into planning.
• Accept no unnecessary risk.
• Make risk decisions at the proper level.
• Accept risk if benefits outweigh the cost.

What do we need to fix?

What's being done to fix it?