Risk Assessment and Control

On a primal level, success in life is assessing and controlling risks. It requires understanding the 3 Components of Risk:

Focus first on Organizational Systems—if they are less than optimal, humans are set up to fail. ASA HOP defines 20 Error Traps that increase risks, and 10 powerful Error-Prevention Tools that mitigate risks. Acceptable levels of Risk Tolerance must be determined, acknowledged, and controlled. Risk and tolerance levels are determined by probability, severity, detectability, and correctability. ASA teaches to align with human nature—to not fight against it. An ever-present situational awareness must consciously be maintained using Dynamic Risk Assessment Tools.

1. Questioning Attitude
   A mindset that is:
   • the foundation required for success in life;
   • continuously assessing risks;
   • constantly asking, “what if?”;
   • taking nothing for granted;
   • accepts that “it can happen to me”.

   Error Traps cause high-risk, error-likely situations…
   ASA teaches how to recognize and eliminate these traps, and to not create them for yourself or others.

2. 10 Situational Error Traps are traps that exist at a given point in time and affect individuals while performing a task, which can increase the chance of making an error.  Learn more with our Error Prevention Planning Tool.
3. Normalized Drift (Latent Organizational Weaknesses – LOWs) are error traps in the form of weakness and breakdowns in organizational and personal defenses that become accepted over time, resulting in sub-standard performance, increased risks, and adverse events.  Learn more with our Error Prevention Planning Tool.
4. ASA HOP Error-Prevention Tools (10) – These 10 tools will protect you! Learn them, use them, share them. Teach them to your family. Your life will be better!  Learn more with our Error Prevention Planning Tool.
5. Human Behavior is too complex to understand. PhDs profess that they do, but argue over who is right—none are! Don’t fight human nature, align with it. Behavior-based Safety is a gross oversimplification that fails to deliver. HOP is the whole package that positively influences human decision-making and behavior.
6. Situational Awareness / Dynamic Risk Assessment – Do you go through your daily activities on autopilot? Or, do you consciously assess what’s going on around you all the time? Error traps are ever-present and your environment is ever-changing—you need the tools and skills to constantly adjust to manage risks.
7. Risk Ranking Process – prioritization of risks serves many purposes—it defines what is most important. Fundamentally, risk ranking is established by considering the frequency of exposure to the risk and the severity of the consequences if the risk potential is fully realized. Ideally, the highest risks get the most attention. Often, this does not happen because the highest risks are the most difficult to solve, thus, easier to solve, lower risks are addressed first. In practicality, two other factors must be considered—detectability of the risk—can the risk be known, and correctability—can the risk be mitigated.
8. Components of Risk – of the 3 primary components of risk, the most disregarded is Organizational Systems. If Organizational Systems are less than optimal, humans are set up to fail. Exposure to Hazards is a well-accepted risk that must be controlled because physical hazards are ubiquitous. Actions of People has been overly emphasized and dumbed down by behavior-based safety. ASA HOP accurately focuses on normalized drift error traps—Weak Organizational Systems—as the highest risk component.