Mastering Critical Risk Management: The Imperative of a Broad-Brush Risk Assessment 

Understanding Critical Risks 

Do you have a prioritised list of all your critical risks? If you do, it’s essential to ask: was this list developed based on the potential consequence of the hazard without any controls in place?

This distinction is crucial. 

If your list isn’t based on potential consequences without controls, then it might not be a true representation of the critical risks at your site.

The Underlying Problem 

If you don’t possess such a list, then what data is driving your fatality prevention program? 

What determines which risks get a bowtie analysis, critical controls, and performance standards? 

Without a prioritised list of critical risks based on potential consequences without controls, you lack a foundational element for your critical risk management program.

From our experience, every client we’ve worked with has faced one of these challenges: 

• Absence of a list of critical risks. 
• Possession of a list, but not based on potential consequences without controls.

The Implications of Inaction 

The repercussions of not addressing this are severe: 

• There’s a high likelihood that fatal risks aren’t being identified or managed.
• Leadership teams remain unaware of the critical risks they own and where their focus should be.
• Frontline workers remain in the dark about potential risks that could harm or even kill them. They lack knowledge about necessary controls before starting a task.

The Way Forward

So, how can you address this? The first step is to complete a Broad-Brush Risk Assessment (BBRA). This assessment uses potential consequences without controls to identify critical risks. 

Following this, residual risk rankings help prioritise efforts, providing a roadmap for your critical risk management process. 

This roadmap will guide decisions on which bow ties need completion, in what order, and which risks will get critical control performance standards.

Need Help?

If you’re unfamiliar with BBRA or lack a template, don’t worry. We offer a comprehensive BBRA template to get you started.

In Conclusion

Risk management is not just about identifying risks; it’s about understanding their potential impact and prioritizing them accordingly. 

As always, these are our insights on the matter. We’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences.