HAZARD IDENTIFICATION & RISK ANALYSIS (HIRA)

 

A Hazard Identification and Risk Analysis is the foundation of developing a comprehensive emergency management plan. Examining the hazards and determining the potential risks allows your organization to put prevention and mitigation strategies into place, avoiding and reducing the implications.

 

There are 3 steps required to complete the HIRA process

 

  1. Hazard Identification – Determining what visible and hidden risks apply

  2. Risk Assessment - Assessing the probability and the potential consequence of the risks

  3. Prioritizing The Risks - Determine where your time and energy should be focused

 

Hazard Identification

 

The Hazard Identification is a determination of the various hazards that are pertinent for a specific location and organization. This is completed by assessing what types of emergencies could occur.

 

Hazards can be broadly grouped into three categories:

 

  1. Natural

  2. Technological

  3. Human-caused hazards

 

Our team takes the time required to ensure all major potential hazards and risks are identified, including:

 

Historical   What types of emergencies have occurred in the community, at your organization, at other businesses in the area, at similar businesses?

 

Geographic   What can happen as a result of the organization's location? This includes the natural hazards that affect the geographical area, but also include the risks due to the proximity to hazards that may be either internal to the community or external in neighbouring communities.

 

Natural   Weather, weather patterns / trends, and geological risks (e.g. fault lines, flood zones).

 

Technological   What could result from a process or system failure? What are the future trends in risks, based on increased reliance and complexity of technology and infrastructure?

 

Human   What emergencies can be caused by human error or intentional acts? What are the impacts of population demographics, density, activity, travel routes, and levels of preparedness?

 

Physical   What types of emergencies could result from the design or construction of the organization's major buildings? What are the risks due to aging buildings or infrastructure?

 

Risk Assessment

 

The second process is the Risk Assessment, determining the probability of a potential emergency occurring and the consequence of the emergency should it actually occur. Using one of the various matrixes to track the probability and consequence, it calculates the priority for which to focus the prevention, mitigation, and response efforts. 

Completing a HIRA

 

Our team of experienced emergency management consultants utilize their resources to complete the HIRA providing an outside perspective and starting the various stages of the plan.