What is the goal of a risk assessment?

There are quite a few potential goals of a risk assessment. At the core, the main goal is always going to be to improve workplace safety and make sure that a company is prepared for any type of hazard that may occur. The specific goals will vary greatly depending on the type of risk that is being assessed. Companies will need to perform a large number of risk assessments based on all known significant hazards that could impact their operations. The more assessments that are done, the better prepared they will be for whatever comes their way.

Performing a Risk Assessment

When performing a risk assessment, it is always important to keep the end goal in mind. These assessments are much more than just trying to learn more about potential hazards that could impact the workplace. They are there to help develop plans on how to minimize the risk of a hazard from occurring, and most importantly, developing a plan of action that will help to reduce or eliminate problems related to a hazard.

Being able to react appropriately with a pre-established plan of action when a dangerous event occurs, the results will be much better. One simple example of this is if you have done a risk assessment on a tornado or hurricane. Based on that assessment, you should have policies in place to alert everyone that this type of event may occur, so they know what to do. Sheltering in place, shutting down key machinery, and taking other precautions will help to minimize the damage that is done by this weather event so when it passes, you can get back to normal operations much more quickly.

Always Keep Assessments Updated

It is typically not enough to perform a risk assessment and then put policies in place that are never updated. In most cases, it is necessary to repeat the assessment so that it can be updated based on any changing factors. This will help you to accomplish the goal of keeping your business safer from all potential hazards.