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Lillian Whitehead
New member
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2024
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How do you evaluate the effectiveness of risk assessments post-incident?
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Evaluating the Effectiveness of Risk Assessments Post-Incident
Marzena STC & QTC
Member
When evaluating the effectiveness of a risk assessment post-incident, the first step is to compare the incident with the original risk assessment. Was the risk identified? If it was, did the controls in place work as expected, or did they fail? If the risk wasn’t considered at all, it’s a clear sign that the assessment needs to be updated.
Next, the control measures should be reviewed. If they were in place but the incident still occurred, were they properly implemented, or did they need strengthening? A root cause analysis is also essential to determine whether the issue stemmed from unforeseen risks, or gaps in existing controls. Please remember: human error is not the root cause, as many root cause analyses conclude.
Feedback from staff involved in the incident is crucial, as they can often highlight whether the controls were practical and understood. If similar incidents continue to happen, it suggests that the risk assessment wasn’t entirely effective, which calls for adjustments.
Finally, the changes made should be monitored over time to ensure they are working. Ongoing reviews and possibly additional training might be necessary to improve the situation.
@Cathy Gladwin any other ideas?
Next, the control measures should be reviewed. If they were in place but the incident still occurred, were they properly implemented, or did they need strengthening? A root cause analysis is also essential to determine whether the issue stemmed from unforeseen risks, or gaps in existing controls. Please remember: human error is not the root cause, as many root cause analyses conclude.
Feedback from staff involved in the incident is crucial, as they can often highlight whether the controls were practical and understood. If similar incidents continue to happen, it suggests that the risk assessment wasn’t entirely effective, which calls for adjustments.
Finally, the changes made should be monitored over time to ensure they are working. Ongoing reviews and possibly additional training might be necessary to improve the situation.
@Cathy Gladwin any other ideas?
Cathy Gladwin
Administrator
Staff member
@Marzena STC & QTC Fantastic advice there Marzena!
I always recommend that sites update their RCA form to include an additional step which is "now go and update your risk assessment to include the additional controls", (from corrective and preventive actions). It closes that loop. Risk assessment was supposed to prevent the issue - but for the reasons you mentioned, it did not prevent the issue. So after all the work done "after the horse has bolted", we can make sure that at least horses won't bolt in the future because the "stable door will be bolted" at the right time (as the saying goes). We can't always prevent issues, but hindsight will help our overall Business Risk Mangement / Mitigation.
I always recommend that sites update their RCA form to include an additional step which is "now go and update your risk assessment to include the additional controls", (from corrective and preventive actions). It closes that loop. Risk assessment was supposed to prevent the issue - but for the reasons you mentioned, it did not prevent the issue. So after all the work done "after the horse has bolted", we can make sure that at least horses won't bolt in the future because the "stable door will be bolted" at the right time (as the saying goes). We can't always prevent issues, but hindsight will help our overall Business Risk Mangement / Mitigation.