International Helicopter Safety Team Safety Management System Toolkit

LIKELIHOOD
S
E
V
E
R
I
T
Y
FREQUENT PROBABLE OCCASIONAL REMOTE IMPROBABLE
I-CATASTROPHIC 1 2 4 8 12
II-CRITICAL 3 5 6 10 15
III-MARGINAL 7 9 11 14 17
IV – NEGLIGIBLE 13 16 18 19 20
Risk Assessment
Risk assessment is a decision step, based on
combined severity and likelihood. Ask, is the risk
acceptable? The risk assessment may be concluded
when potential severity is low or if the likelihood is
low or well controlled.
Risk Matrix
The risk assessment matrix is a useful tool to
identify the level of risk and the levels of management
approval required for any Risk Management
Plan. There are various forms of this matrix, but they
all have a common objective to define the potential
consequences and/or severity of the hazard versus
the probability or likelihood of the hazard.
To use the risk assessment matrix effectively it is
important that everyone has the same understanding
of the terminology used for probability and
severity. For this reason, definitions for each level
of these components should be provided.
Risk Control
Often, risk mitigation will require new
processes, new equipment or changes to existing
ones. Look at the system with the proposed control
in place to see if the level of risk is now acceptable.
Stay in this design loop until it is determined
that the proposed operation, change, etc. not be
mitigated to allow operations within acceptable
levels of risk.
Risk Matrix
Has interaction with managers or supervisors, but can exist
on it’s own.
Stresses “links” in an accident chain.
Used by military.
Enhances situational awareness.
SMS Toolkit 37