Risk assessment

Pre-task hazard identification, controls, residual risk — the ISM-Code-rooted habit that underwrites every permit and toolbox talk.

Why it matters

The ISM Code (Element 1.2.2.2) requires the company to establish safeguards against all identified risks. In practice that means a written risk assessment — formal or informal — for every non-routine task. A risk assessment that is signed but not read is worse than none: it gives false comfort and a paper trail that conflicts with the actual job.

Common hazards

• Generic copy-paste assessment that does not match the task at hand.
• Hazards identified but no control listed.
• Residual risk left at a level that should have triggered a higher-level sign-off.
• No reassessment when the conditions change (weather, fatigue, parallel work, port-state inspector onboard).

Practical checklist

• Identify the task, the people, the equipment, the environment.
• List the hazards — physical, chemical, biological, ergonomic, human.
• Rate likelihood × severity before controls.
• Apply controls (eliminate / substitute / engineer / administrate / PPE).
• Re-rate the residual risk.
• Confirm the residual risk is acceptable for the level of sign-off.
• Walk the job before starting — does the assessment still match reality?

Mistakes to avoid

• Treating the risk assessment as paperwork to finish before starting work.
• Failing to reassess after a change in conditions.

Last verified 5 months ago