Overcoming Common Challenges in Critical Risk Management

The safety of mining workers depends on establishing critical risk management processes. However, effective implementation of new strategies does bring challenges for many mining corporations. 

Here we discuss some common obstacles you will likely encounter, plus actionable advice for moving everything forward when introducing and implementing a critical risk management system.

Conducting A Thorough Risk Assessment

The starting point is identifying and evaluating relevant risks, their likelihood and consequence severity. With this knowledge, you can design and execute safeguards against potential dangers.

Establish and document what areas of your organisation you want to assess and the risks to address. Consider all the things that could go wrong in your organisation, both in terms of normal operations and non-standard events and evaluate the likelihood and severity of each hazard.

• What is the probability of each incident occurring? 
• How severe would the consequences be if it did happen?

Once you have assessed the likelihood and severity of each hazard, you can then prioritise them based on their overall risk level.

Creative Solutions For Human Resource Scarcity

Resource constraints are a common challenge for operations of all sizes. However, this is your chance to get creative to not only overcome them and achieve your goals but make a real impact.

As we know, not all tasks are created equal. Prioritise by focusing on the most critical and urgent tasks, then establish what can be delegated, outsourced or automated. Outsourcing can be cost-effective since it avoids putting additional strain on the existing workforce and the need to hire and train new workers.

Use technology to your advantage via project management software to track your progress and manage your resources. Cloud-based services are a fantastic option as teams can access on demand, and they are often significantly cheaper than investing in significant infrastructure.

Gaining Workforce Support and Overcoming Change Resistance

Resistance to change is a common challenge in critical risk management. This means being on the front foot with your communication and seeing any opposition as an invitation to have robust and meaningful conversations from the outset and gain valuable feedback. This approach facilitates teams’ buy-in and helps ensure the success of your critical risk management initiatives.

Common reasons for resistance centre around fear of the unknown, where workers are unsure what it will mean for them and their jobs. Lack of trust can arise, particularly if the team don’t have a close working relationship with the people leading the change and may perceive a lack of personal or organisational benefit. 

Communication is vital to alleviate any barriers so those impacted can understand the changes and why it is necessary.

Long-term Success Strategies For Maintaining and Improving Critical Risk Management

Long-term success in your business and Australia’s mining industry depends on continually improving your risk management processes.

• Make critical risk management a priority by embedding it into every organisational aspect. Everyone has a role, and it should be part of business as usual.
• Regularly review and update your processes. 
• Use data and analytics trends to inform strategy.
• Involve workers early and ongoing as they are often the first to identify potential risks. 
• Communicate early and often and be honest about the challenges and risks associated with the change without sugarcoating.
• Address concerns swiftly and directly and provide training and support where necessary.
• Consider getting help from a qualified risk management consultant like us!

The process of critical risk management consists of several activities. If you need help identifying and assessing risks or developing and implementing risk controls, that’s where the Impress Solutions team comes in. 

Contact us today to discuss how the Impress Solutions team can support your workplace in achieving critical risk management success.