scholarly journals Review and refinement of an existing qualitative risk assessment method for application within an ecosystem-based management framework

2014 ◽  
Vol 72 (3) ◽  
pp. 1043-1056 ◽  
Author(s):  
Warrick (Rick) J. Fletcher
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Ecosystem Approach ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Risk Scores ◽  
Weight Of Evidence ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Qualitative Risk Assessment ◽  
Seamless Transition ◽  
Iso 31000

Abstract The adoption of risk-based methodologies is considered essential for the successful implementation of an ecosystem approach to fisheries and broader aquatic management. To assist with these initiatives, one of the qualitative risk assessment methods adapted for fisheries management over a decade ago has been reviewed. This method was updated to ensure compliance with the revised international standards for risk management (ISO 31000) and to enable consideration of ecological, economic, social, and governance risks. The review also addressed the difficulties that have been encountered in stakeholder understanding of the underlying concepts and to increase the discipline in its application. The updates include simplifying the number of consequence and likelihood levels, adopting graphical techniques to represent different consequence levels, and discussing how changes in uncertainty can affect risk scores. Adopting an explicit “weight of evidence” approach has also assisted with determining which consequence scenarios are considered plausible and, where relevant, their specific likelihoods. The revised methods therefore incorporate the conceptual elements from a number of qualitative and quantitative approaches increasing their reliability and enabling a more seamless transition along this spectrum as more lines of evidence are collected. It is expected that with continued application of these methods, further refinements will be identified.

scholarly journals Biological risk assessment: A challenge for occupational health and safety practitioners during the COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) Pandemic

Work ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Carlos Carvalhais ◽  
Micaela Querido ◽  
Cristiana C. Pereira ◽  
Joana Santos
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Occupational Safety And Health ◽  
Risk Level ◽  
Biological Risk ◽  
Occupational Risks ◽  
Qualitative Risk Assessment ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
Medium Risk

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 global pandemic brought several challenges to occupational safety and health practice. One of these is the need to (re)assess the occupational risks, particularly, biological risks. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this work is to promote guidance to occupational safety and health practitioners when conducting a biological risk assessment in this context. METHODS: The main steps of the biological risk assessment are explained with some inputs regarding the novelty posed by SARS-CoV-2 and an example of a qualitative risk assessment method is presented. Also, its application to two different activities was exemplified. RESULTS: In both cases, the assessment considered that vulnerable workers were working from home or in medical leave. The results showed low or medium risk level for the assessed tasks. For medium risk level, additional controls are advised, such maintain social distancing, sanitize instruments/equipment before use, use proper and well-maintained PPE (when applicable), and promote awareness sessions to spread good practices at work. Employers must be aware of their obligations regarding biological risk assessment and OSH practitioners must be prepared to screen and link the abundance of scientific evidence generated following the outbreak, with the technical practice. CONCLUSIONS: This paper could be an important contribution to OSH practice since it highlights the need to (re)assess occupational risks, especially biological risk, to ensure a safe return to work, providing technical guidance.

scholarly journals A Methodology for Harmonizing Safety and Health Scales in Occupational Risk Assessment

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 4849
Author(s):  
Zuzhen Ji ◽  
Dirk Pons ◽  
John Pearse
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Public Health Perspective ◽  
Chronic Health ◽  
Risk Assessment Method

Successful implementation of Health and Safety (H&S) systems requires an effective mechanism to assess risk. Existing methods focus primarily on measuring the safety aspect; the risk of an accident is determined based on the product of severity of consequence and likelihood of the incident arising. The health component, i.e., chronic harm, is more difficult to assess. Partially, this is due to both consequences and the likelihood of health issues, which may be indeterminate. There is a need to develop a quantitative risk measurement for H&S risk management and with better representation for chronic health issues. The present paper has approached this from a different direction, by adopting a public health perspective of quality of life. We have then changed the risk assessment process to accommodate this. This was then applied to a case study. The case study showed that merely including the chronic harm scales appeared to be sufficient to elicit a more detailed consideration of hazards for chronic harm. This suggests that people are not insensitive to chronic harm hazards, but benefit from having a framework in which to communicate them. A method has been devised to harmonize safety and harm risk assessments. The result was a comprehensive risk assessment method with consideration of safety accidents and chronic health issues. This has the potential to benefit industry by making chronic harm more visible and hence more preventable.

scholarly journals Qualitative Risk Assessment of Cybersecurity and Development of Vulnerability Enhancement Plans in Consideration of Digitalized Ship

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 565
Author(s):  
Yunja Yoo ◽  
Han-Seon Park
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Safety Management ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Security Risk ◽  
Analytic Hierarchy ◽  
Improvement Plan ◽  
Qualitative Risk Assessment ◽  
Cyber Risk ◽  
Hierarchy Process ◽  
Ship Safety

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) published the Guidelines on Maritime Cyber Risk Management in 2017 to strengthen cybersecurity in consideration of digitalized ships. As part of these guidelines, the IMO recommends that each flag state should integrate and manage matters regarding cyber risk in the ship safety management system (SMS) according to the International Safety Management Code (ISM Code) before the first annual verification that takes place on or after 1 January 2021. The purpose of this paper is to identify cybersecurity risk components in the maritime sector that should be managed by the SMS in 2021 and to derive priorities for vulnerability improvement plans through itemized risk assessment. To this end, qualitative risk assessment (RA) was carried out for administrative, technical, and physical security risk components based on industry and international standards, which were additionally presented in the IMO guidelines. Based on the risk matrix from the RA analysis results, a survey on improving cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the maritime sector was conducted, and the analytic hierarchy process was used to analyze the results and derive improvement plan priority measures.

Safety and Ergonomics Risk Assessment (SERA): A Customized Ergonomics Assessment Tool for Automobile Manufacturing

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Snell ◽  
Arman Dehghani ◽  
Fabian Guenkzkofer ◽  
Stefan Kaltenbrunner
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Scientific Methods ◽  
Automobile Manufacturing ◽  
International Reporting ◽  
Database Implementation ◽  
And Training

Musculoskeletal disorders continue to be a leading source of lost workdays across all industries. Common ergonomics assessment tools may include criteria extraneous to the stresses at specific companies or industries. Therefore, the creation of assessment tools, based on scientifically validated methods, with industry- or company-specific stresses may be of benefit. The BMW Group has developed the Safety and Ergonomics Risk Assessment (SERA) tool. This ergonomics assessment method incorporates the most up-to-date scientific methods and international standards, and is used worldwide in all production facilities of the BMW Group. As noted above, a major advantage of SERA over conventional ergonomics tools is the focus on ergonomics stresses common to automobile manufacturing and the consequent exclusion of irrelevant parameters, thereby reducing the time, effort, and training required for workplace assessments. Other advantages include the international uniformity of assessments and a web- and database-implementation allowing for easily comparable international reporting. The implementation of this method at the BMW Group has enabled a greater transparency for ergonomics across all international plants, and more effective and targeted ergonomics interventions. This publication will outline the basic motivation for SERA, highlight the relevant scientific sources and international standards, and general steps of an evaluation.

scholarly journals Alignment of the Safety Assessment Method with New Zealand Legislative Responsibilities

Safety ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dirk J. Pons
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Systems Engineering ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Internal Communication ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Legislative Framework ◽  
Minor Injuries

Need—National legislative health and safety (H&S) frameworks impose requirements but grant self-management to organisations. Consequently variability arises in management systems, and some organisations struggle to achieve successful implementation. The risk assessment process is key to the H&S management system, and could benefit from greater consistency and better external alignment with the legislative framework of the jurisdiction. Approach—The harm categories in the New Zealand (NZ) Act were adapted into a consequence scale. A non-linear scale was developed for the consequence axis to represent the disproportional nature of catastrophic harm outcomes compared to minor injuries. A hazard assessment process was devised based on systems engineering methods. Organisational decision-criteria were derived from the communications requirement in the Act, and these thresholds linked to expected treatments. Originality—A method is providing for aligning risk assessments with a national legislative framework, and integrating the technical aspects of risk assessment with the management processes. The approach also more explicitly includes recovery actions in contrast to existing methods where prevention dominates. Regarding the management aspects, it shows how thresholds may be defined relative to the legislation, to give clear expectations regarding treatment and internal communication, thereby assisting executives (‘officers’ in terms of the NZ Act) meet their duties.

scholarly journals Risk Assessment Method Combining Independent Protection Layers (IPL) of Layer of Protection Analysis (LOPA) and RISKCURVES Software: Case Study of Hydrogen Refueling Stations in Urban Areas

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (13) ◽  
pp. 4043
Author(s):  
Byoungjik Park ◽  
Yangkyun Kim ◽  
Kwanwoo Lee ◽  
Shinwon Paik ◽  
Chankyu Kang
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Risk Measures ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Individual Risk ◽  
Safety Measures ◽  
Risk Assessment Method ◽  
The Impact

The commercialization of eco-friendly hydrogen vehicles has elicited attempts to expand hydrogen refueling stations in urban areas; however, safety measures to reduce the risk of jet fires have not been established. The RISKCURVES software was used to evaluate the individual and societal risks of hydrogen refueling stations in urban areas, and the F–N (Frequency–Number of fatalities) curve was used to compare whether the safety measures satisfied international standards. From the results of the analysis, it was found that there is a risk of explosion in the expansion of hydrogen refueling stations in urban areas, and safety measures should be considered. To lower the risk of hydrogen refueling stations, this study applied the passive and active independent protection layers (IPLs) of LOPA (Layer of Protection Analysis) and confirmed that these measures significantly reduced societal risk as well as individual risk and met international standards. In particular, such measures could effectively reduce the impact of jet fire in dispensers and tube trailers that had a high risk. Measures employing both IPL types were efficient in meeting international standard criteria; however, passive IPLs were found to have a greater risk reduction effect than active IPLs. The combination of RISKCURVES and LOPA is an appropriate risk assessment method that can reduce work time and mitigate risks through protective measures compared to existing risk assessment methods. This method can be applied to risk assessment and risk mitigation not only for hydrogen facilities, but also for hazardous materials with high fire or explosion risk.

scholarly journals The application of qualitative risk assessment methodology to prioritize issues for fisheries management

2005 ◽  
Vol 62 (8) ◽  
pp. 1576-1587 ◽  
Author(s):  
W.J. Fletcher
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Fisheries Management ◽  
Stakeholder Involvement ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Risk Scores ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
Qualitative Risk Assessment ◽  
Ecologically Sustainable ◽  
Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management ◽  
Risk Assessment Methodology

Abstract Implementing more holistic forms of fisheries management (e.g. Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD), Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management) usually increases the number and scope of impacts requiring assessment. This study examined the effectiveness of a qualitative risk assessment process, developed as part of a National ESD framework, for prioritizing issues across the seven most valuable Western Australian commercial fisheries. Structured stakeholder workshops were used to identify issues across three ecological areas: retained species (i.e. target and by-product), non-retained (i.e. discarded and protected) species, and the broader ecosystem for each fishery. The risk associated with each issue was assessed using one of five sets of consequence criteria specifically developed to cover fishery-related impacts. The risk scores, for which suitably detailed justifications were written, determined the level of reporting and management required for each issue. Despite an additional 96 “non-target species issues” being identified at the workshops from a total of 115 issues, of the 27 issues requiring explicit management actions, just six new issues were added by this process. In addition, it identified where modifications of some of the existing arrangements were necessary. Finally, the system significantly improved stakeholder involvement and therefore acceptance of the outcomes. Given this success, risk assessment has now been applied to all Western Australia's export fisheries and to the development or review of many other systems, thereby improving the entire management process.

scholarly journals FINANCING RISK MEASUREMENT WITH MAQASHID AL-SHARIA QUALITATIVE RISK

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Syathir Sofyan ◽  
Salmah Said ◽  
Muhammad Wahyuddin Abdullah
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Financial Institutions ◽  
Default Risk ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Moral Hazards ◽  
Qualitative Risk Assessment ◽  
Financing Risk ◽  
Islamic Financial Institutions

Measurement of financing risk has been dominated by quantitative methods, which insufficiently pay attention to the detailed causes of default risk. So far, the concept of mafsadah in maqashid al-sharia has never been applied in risk management. Thus, the aim of this study is to measure the risk of financing with the qualitative risk assessment method based on maqashid al-sharia by proposing the use of the mafsadah matrix. This research applies qualitative method equipped with a phenomenological approach as observed in Islamic financial institutions in Makassar. Data collection was carried out by observation and interviews with the branch heads, credit analysts, and staff of the Islamic financial institutions. Data analysis and interpretation technique are in line with Miles and Huberman analysis with three stages, namely data reduction, data presentation, and data verification. This study found that there were seventeen risk events with the level of mafsadah tahsiniyyat as many as four events, mafsadah hajiyyyat as many as four events, and mafsadah dharuriyyat as many as nine events. In addition, this research reveals that customers, indeed, fail to pay due to their bad characters and moral hazards (mafsadah dharuriyyat) resulting in liquidity problems in Islamic financial institutions. This is due to the misappropriation of credit committee approval and unresponsive handling of bad financing (mafsadah dharuriyyat) resulting in delays in Islamic financial institutions to further process financing proposals (mafsadah dharuriyyat).==============================================================================================Pengukuran Risiko Pembiayaan dengan Maqashid al-Syariah Qualitative Risk. Pengukuran risiko pembiayaan telah didominasi metode kuantitiatif yang kurang memerhatikan penyebab terjadinya default risk secara detail. Selama ini, konsep mafsadah dalam maqashid al-syariah belum pernah diaplikasikan dalam aspek manajemen risiko. Maka, tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengukur risiko pembiayaan dengan metode qualitative risk assessment yang berbasis maqashid al-syariah dengan menggunakan matriks mafsadah. Penelitian ini adalah penelitian kualitatif dengan pendekatan fenomenologi pada lembaga pembiayaan syariah di Makassar.  Pengumpulan data dilakukan dengan observasi dan wawancara terhadap kepala cabang, credit analyst, dan staf karyawan lembaga pembiayaan syariah. Teknik analisis dan interpretasi data menggunakan analisis Miles dan Huberman dengan tiga tahapan, yaitu reduksi data, penyajian data, dan verifikasi data. Penelitian ini menemukan terdapat tujuh belas peristiwa risiko dengan tingkatan mafsadah tahsiniyat sebanyak empat peristiwa, mafsadah hajiyat sebanyak empat peristiwa, dan mafsadah dharuriyat sebanyak sembilan peristiwa. Selain itu, penelitian ini mengungkap bahwa peristiwa nasabah gagal bayar karena karakter buruk dan moral hazard (mafsadah dharuriyat) mengakibatkan masalah likuiditas pada lembaga pembiayaan syariah. Hal ini disebabkan kekeliruan persetujuan pembiayaan oleh credit committee dan penanganan yang tidak responsif atas pembiayaan macet (mafsadah dharuriyat) berakibat keterlambatan lembaga pembiayaan syariah memeroses pengajuan pembiayaan (mafsadah dharuriyat).

A Weight-of-Evidence Approach for Assessing Interactions in Chemical Mixtures

1992 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 377-406 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. M. Mumtaz ◽  
P. R. Durkin
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Risk Assessments ◽  
Weight Of Evidence ◽  
Interaction Patterns ◽  
Chemical Mixtures ◽  
Qualitative Risk Assessment

The risk assessment process must encompass all available toxicological data and scientific evidence on the plausible toxicities of a chemical or chemical mixture. As an extension to the approaches used to conduct risk assessments on chemical mixtures, a preliminary scheme, analogous to the IARC classification of carcinogens, is proposed to express the weight of evidence for the interactions in binary mixtures. This scheme is based on composite representation of all the toxicological evidence from animal bioassays and human data, pharmacokinetics studies, metabolism studies, and structure activity relationships. In addition, factors such as the relevance of route, duration and sequence of exposure, toxicological significance of interactions and the quality of in vivo and in vitro data are taken into consideration. The scheme yields an alphanumeric classification that can be used for qualitative risk assessment, and has the potential, as demonstrated in this paper, for quantitative application to site-specific risk assessments. Furthermore, the scheme can be used to estimate interactions or form hypotheses concerning binary interactions. It is flexible and allows all pertinent information to be incorporated in a methodical and consistent manner. Research is needed to identify interaction patterns for simultaneous and sequential exposure scenarios of chemical pollutants in order that this scheme may be developed further and its usefulness and limitations may be tested.

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