Part 2 of a five-part series on weather risk assessments for the construction industry and built environment
- Part 1: Gather Data and Define Scope
- Part 2: Weather Risk Identification
- Part 3: Weather Risk Analysis
- Part 4: Weather Risk Evaluation
- Part 5: Weather Risk Communication
Ten Risk Factors
When conducting risk identification, the ISO 31000:2018 Risk management – Guidelines recommend that safety professionals and site stakeholders examine a broad spectrum of risk factors, including but not limited to:
- Tangible and intangible sources of risk
- Threats and opportunities
- Causes and events
- Consequences and their impact on objectives
- Limitations of knowledge and reliability of information
- Vulnerabilities and capabilities
- Changes in external and internal context
- Indicators of emerging risks
- Time-related factors
- Biases, assumptions and beliefs of those involved
ISO 31000:2018 Risk management – Guidelines
ISO 31000:2018 provides guidelines on managing risk faced by organizations. Further, the application of the guidelines can be customized to any organization and its context. ISO 31000:2018 provides a common approach to managing any type of risk and is not industry or sector-specific. The general guidelines can be used throughout the life of the organization and can be applied to any activity, including decision-making at all levels. (ISO/TC 262 Risk Management is the technical committee responsible for 31000:2018 Risk management – Guidelines.)
Weather hazard identification (HAZID)
In the construction industry and built environment, risk assessment teams can use numerous methods to identify probable weather hazards on projects and sites. The hazard identification (HAZID) method is one of many generally accepted methods to identify probable weather hazards, which employs a qualitative, structured technique for risk identification. HAZID utilizes guides and checks to identify weather hazards, root causes, and probable outcomes across the total asset lifecycle, from construction to operations and maintenance.
Risk assessment based on intensity, severity, and probability
HAZID can also include quantitative analysis, to determine the intensity and severity ranges of adverse and extreme weather events, coupled with the likelihood or probability of each occurrence. Next, risk assessment teams can use risk assessment matrices to compare and prioritize weather events, based on intensity, severity, and probability. Then, decision-makers can analyze weather hazards to assess the respective risks and threats to life safety, work productivity, and project delivery.
(Adapted from “Conducting a Risk Assessment.” The Role of Consensus Standards in Advancing Safety, American Society of Safety Professionals, 12 Jan. 2019.)
More in the next part on weather risk assessments for the construction industry and built environment…
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