Risk profiling

The risk profile of an organisation informs all aspects of the approach to leading and managing its health and safety risks.

Every organisation will have its own risk profile. This is the starting point for determining the greatest health and safety issues for the organisation. In some businesses the risks will be tangible and immediate safety hazards, whereas in other organisations the risks may be health-related and it may be a long time before the illness becomes apparent.

A risk profile examines:

• the nature and level of the threats faced by an organisation
• the likelihood of adverse effects occurring
• the level of disruption and costs associated with each type of risk
• the effectiveness of controls in place to manage those risks

The outcome of risk profiling will be that the right risks have been identified and prioritised for action, and minor risks will not have been given too much priority. It also informs decisions about what risk controls measures are needed.

The examples in the following pages with key areas of ‘What it looks like when done effectively’ indicate positive health and safety attitudes and behaviours. The examples also cover ‘What it looks like when done badly or not at all’ as this could indicate underlying cultural issues.

More information on risk management

You can find more detailed advice at Profiling your health and safety risks and other sources of information include:

• For larger/more mature businesses
• For small/medium businesses and those new to health and safety
• British Standard Risk management: Code of practice BS31100:2008