Guideline for Arctic Marine Risk Assessment
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Stage 5 - Risk treatment
Risk treatment is the process of actively intervening to control risks. If risk evaluation (Stage 4) shows the risk level is deemed too high or unacceptable, appropriate risk control and mitigation measures should be implemented. The purpose of these measures is to either reduce the probability, or the consequences, of undesirable events. As such, these measures are examples of ‘barriers’. At this stage, it is important to ensure that new risk control and mitigation measures do not engender new hazards, or at least that those new hazards are appropriately managed.
Several underlying principles support prioritizing risk control options to implement. However, choosing which options to implement, should be decided on a case-by-case basis, using the results of a sufficiently thorough risk assessment.
Approaches to risk control include the elimination of the hazard through inherent safe design (e.g. segregated ballast tanks), risk reduction through implementing safety devices (e.g. technologies for ships collision avoidance), warning devices (e.g. alarms), or procedures and training (e.g. oil response coordination exercises).
It is imperative that the risk evaluation stage (Stage 4) is appropriately linked to the organizational decision making processes of the risk management framework, to ensure that the results of the risk analysis stage are used, and that selected risk treatment options are implemented accordingly (Stage 5). It is also imperative to carefully consider who is responsible for implementing, operating, and maintaining the risk control options, and this should be linked to communication and consultation processes as appropriate.
This is not a compliance tool. This guideline will not absolve the user of responsibility in the event of an accident. Disclaimer
This is not a compliance tool. This guideline will not absolve the user of responsibility in the event of an accident. Disclaimer