WYC Risk Management Process (developed from YNZ TEMPLATE RISK MANAGEMENT PLAN (V1.1 April 2014))

PURPOSE

The purpose of the Risk Management document is to set out the process for managing WYC risks/hazards in a systematic way.

SEE WYC Hazard Register for Identified Hazards and management strategies...

DEFINITION

A hazard is something that can cause harm or damage.

A ‘notifiable event’ is defined in Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA) and includes fractures, laceration, crushing, loss of consciousness and burns.

SCOPE

This process relates to the identification, assessment and control of hazards relating to all related activities at WYC.

1.        Risks (Forms of loss)

When identifying risk, it is important to identify what the end form of loss is. This loss is the risk. There are only five categories where we possibly stand to incur loss.

1. Injury/Illness (I)
2. Loss or damage to Equipment (E)
3. Damage to the Environment/Surrounds (S)
4. Financial Loss (F)
5. Loss of Credibility (C)

2.        Causal Factors (Hazards)

Causal factors are the things that create the loss; these are commonly referred to as the hazards. There are only three categories which can cause loss. These are listed below.

(a)        People

It is important when identifying in this area, to focus on how people can cause loss. This category includes team members, support personnel, officials, participants, parents, spectators and general public who may be in the vicinity of our actions.

(b)        Equipment

        It is important to focus on how equipment can cause loss.

(c)        Environment

This category focuses on the hazards in the area (environment) defined by the environs that the event or activity may impact on or may be impacted by (also, see inherent vs. introduced risk). This can include weather, roads, beaches, parks, buildings.  

3.        Breakdown of daily process

It makes it easier to break the day down to the stages in which you will go through, and identify the hazards in each. Below is a suggested breakdown of a typical operational day at your club.

1. Club Environment / Rigging Area

(b)        Launching and Retrieving Rescue Boats / Rescue Boat Use on the Water

(c)        Launching and Retrieving Sail Craft

(d)        On Water Management

(e)        Event Management (optional – for clubs running large events or commercial events)

4.        Inherent Risk vs. Introduced Risk

When assessing risks it is important to be aware of two key differences in the risks that are present during the running of the club, programmes or an event:

1. Introduced Risk – these are the risks that have been added to any person’s normal daily life (whether directly involved in the activity or not) by the introduction of your club and event or programme. These are the risks that we must identify and manage to the best of our ability.

1. Inherent Risk – these are risks that are present and we have to deal with in our normal daily life and we are expected as individuals to learn to cope with these. For example walking up stairs, if the stairs in your club/facility are normal and safe there is no need to try and manage this risk, it is inherent to daily life. However, if the stairs are unsafe in any way this will need to be managed.

Our role when undertaking risk analysis and management is to identify the introduced risk and how best and most efficiently to manage this. This means we don’t need to put up signs warning people of the dangers of stairs that are perfectly safe.  

5.         Risk Assessment

Having identified the risks involved in our activities we need to assess them in terms of their likelihood to occur and the seriousness of the consequences arising from their occurrence.  

Each identified risk must be rated.  These ratings describe:

1. the likelihood of the risk occurring (likelihood); and
2. the loss or damage impact if the risk occurred (severity);
3. the priority, or degree of urgency required to address the risk.

In order to systematically assess the risks identified in the first stage of the process, we apply the risk rating scales set out below in Tables 1 – 3.  The risk rating scales ill allow you to rate identified risks and then identify risk management priorities.  

5.1        Likelihood

        The likelihood is related to the potential for a risk to occur over an annual evaluation cycle.

Table 1:        Likelihood Scale

5.2                Severity

                The severity of a risk refers to the degree of loss or damage which may result from                 its’ occurrence.

Table 2:        Severity Scale

Having assessed each risk in terms of its likelihood and severity we are in a position to prioritize the risks to assist in the decision making of what action is warranted to manage the risks (where possible).

5.3        Risk Priority

The risk priority scale determines the nature of the risk and the action required.  They are indicators to assist in understanding the urgency and level of attention required from any given area of hazard.

By adding the Severity rating score to the likelihood scale a ranking score of priority will be created.

Table 3:        Risk Priority Scale

5.4        Nature of Management Strategy

When managing risks there are 3 ways to help prevent risk, it is possible to Prevent the risk, Isolate the risk or Minimize the risk. The choice here is to choose a style that most effectively and practically manages the issue.

Example;

If there was a steel bar sticking up out of a launching ramp…..

Prevent;        Cut the steel bar out, or launch somewhere else

Isolate;        Put a road cone over the steel bar to stop people walking into it, or rope it off

Minimize;        In a briefing make everyone aware of the steel bar and to avoid it

Monitor and Review Hazards

1. Monitor hazards constantly to provide on-going assurance the control methods are effective.
2. Review the Hazard Register on an annual basis to evaluate the effectiveness of the existing controls in place, and evaluate whether any changes to our boating activities may impact the current assessment of identified hazards or introduce new hazards.
3. Evaluate the effectiveness of our hazard management as part of the scope of the internal review.