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Hazard Evaluation Help
Hazard Severity
Hazard severity provides a qualitative measure of the worst credible result of the hazard. The following identifies the hazard severity categories that are used in this analysis and provides a definition for each.
| Program Hazard Analysis - Hazard Severity Rating | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Industry Standard Description | BSA Relevance | |
| Catastrophic | I | Death, facility, or system loss or severe environmental damage. | Fatal or lifetime impairment, loss of sight or limb. Permanent facility loss. Events with multiple critical incidents. > $1 million financial impact. |
| Critical | II | Severe injury; severe occupational illness; or major facility, system, or environmental damage. | Temporary impairment requiring rehabilitation and/or lifetime partial impairment, loss of use of but not loss of a limb. Facility not a total loss but must be rebuilt or remediated. Events with multiple marginal incidents. < $1 million > $100,000 financial impact. |
| Marginal | III | Minor injury, minor occupational illness, minor system, or environmental damage. | Injury requires physician to treat a temporary impairment, with complete rehabilitation possible. Sutures, clean fractures, injuries requiring transport to offsite medical facilities. Events with multiple negligible incidents. < $100,000 > $1,000 financial impact. |
| Negligible | IV | Less than minor injury or occupational illness, or less than system or environmental damage. | First-aid injuries not requiring medical professional intervention. < $1,000 financial impact. |
Hazard Frequency
The probability that a hazard will be experienced during the planned life expectancy of the program or system can be estimated in potential occurrences per unit of time, events, population, or activity. The following identifies the categories used and the definition of each.
| Program Hazard Analysis - Hazard Frequency Rating | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Descriptive Word | Level | Industry Standards Within Specific Individual Items, Fleets, or Inventories | BSA Relevance |
| Frequent | A | Likely to occur frequently. MTBE* is fewer than 1,000 operating hours. Continuously experienced. | Expected to occur in a unit, district, council, program, or activity. |
| Probable | B | Will occur several times in the life of an item. MTBE is equal to or greater than 1,000 operating hours and fewer than 100,000 operating hours. Will occur frequently. | Will occur in the majority of councils conducting the program. |
| Occasional | C | Likely to occur sometime in the life of an item. MTBE is equal to or greater than 100,000 operating hours and fewer than 1 million operating hours. Will occur several times. | Likely to occur in a couple of councils/the program annually. |
| Remote | D | Unlikely but possible to occur in the life of item. MTBE is greater than 1 million operating hours and fewer than 100 million operating hours. Unlikely, but can reasonably be expected to occur. | Might happen once a year within the entire organization/program. |
| Improbable | E | So unlikely, it can be assumed occurrence may not be experienced. MTBE is greater than 100 million operating hours. Unlikely to occur, but possible. | Might happen once in the lifetime of the BSA. |
Risk Assessment
Once severity and frequency are established for a given hazard, a risk matrix can be used to decide whether to accept the risk or to implement hazard elimination or control measures.
| Frequency of Occurrence | Catastrophic (I) | Critical (II) | Marginal (III) | Negligible (IV) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent (A) | IA | IIA | IIIA | IVA |
| Probable (B) | IB | IIB | IIIB | IVB |
| Occasional (C) | IC | IIC | IIIC | IVC |
| Remote (D) | ID | IID | IIID | IVD |
| Improbable (E) | IE | IIE | IIIE | IVE |
| Hazard Risk Index | Acceptance Criteria |
| IA, IB, IC, IIA, IIB, IIIA | Unacceptable |
| ID, IIC, IID, IIIB, IIIC | Undesirable |
| IE, IIE, IIID, IIIE, IVA, IVB | Acceptable with Review |
| IVC, IVD, IVE | Acceptable |
After the hazards are evaluated, a resolution plan is developed based on an assessment of the risk associated with each hazard. There are essentially four choices in the hazard resolution process.
- Unacceptable
- For the most serious hazards (those with a rating of IA, IB, IC, IIA, IIB, or IIIA), controlling measures will be developed. No Program Hazard Analysis form is needed as this activity cannot be held.
- Undesirable
- If the hazard is less serious (rating of ID, IIC, IID, IIIB, or IIIC), the hazard will be evaluated for corrective action and a decision will be made whether to correct or to accept the hazard. Program Hazard Analysis form must be completed, and mitigations evaluated; this activity MAY be permitted depending on the mitigated risk level.
- Acceptable with review
- The hazard resolution is closed based on an evaluation of the final risk, and the re-evaluation of the frequency and severity after the corrective action is included. A Program Hazard Analysis form must be completed to mitigate risks; this activity will typically be one we can hold once risk is mitigated.
- Acceptable without review
- The least serious hazards are accepted as identified, and no corrective action is required. No Program Hazard Analysis form is required as this activity is considered safe.
