December 8, 2017 | Barb Carr

Advance the Quality of your Risk Assessments: A Q & A with Jim Whiting

Would you like to add “RA Workshop facilitator” to your resume? Are you interested in improving your current risk matrix tool in a way that achieves dramatic results? We were excited to talk to Jim Whiting about his upcoming Risk Management – Best Practices & Risk-Based Thinking course, at the 2018 Global TapRooT® Summit, February 26-27, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee and learn that these objectives are within your reach.

Q: What are the main benefits of attending this course for a newcomer or a very experienced professional?

A: Regardless of your current level of experience, the main benefit you will gain is learning how to use and adapt new practical and effective RM approaches, methods and tools which are now required in managing all types of risk in general, and particularly as specified in new HSEQ System Standards.

Q. What is an example of one such approach that I could learn & derive benefit?

A: The workshop training will describe and provide hands-on practice with a proven Likelihood Estimation Guidance tool which significantly reduces variability of risk assessors’ estimates of the likelihood / probability / frequency of any specific risk scenario. After the workshop, the 100’s of past attendees describe how they are much more confident of the consistency and accuracy of likelihood estimation and hence risk assessments.

Q: Why do Risk Assessments always seem to be very subjective and depend on personal opinions, biases and perceptions?

A: YES many risk assessments in the past have led to widely variable estimates of risk which then cannot help in our HSEQ decision making. That is why the Workshop concentrates on improved facilitation techniques which minimize the effects of those factors. You will learn how to become a very effective RA Workshop facilitator.

Q: What are some examples of these improved facilitation techniques?

A: To achieve better results from a RA team, you will learn about optimizing control and design of facilitation factors such as number, composition, types, profiles, interpersonal dynamics and consensus techniques including the Delphi technique.

Q: What are other beneficial take-aways from the training?

A: You will learn how to avoid common RM traps such as – arguing unnecessarily about consequence severity; mixing different scenarios and attempting to assess them together at the one time; misinterpretation of effective applications of the Hierarchy of Risk Controls; not using formal criteria for making consistent decisions re risk tolerability; not recognizing when everyday risk mythology is influencing assessments; etc.

Q: Can I get a better understanding of RBT Risk Based Thinking and what I would need to do to conform with RBT aspects of ISO / ANSI Standards?

A: A significant issue covered in the workshop is how to clarify the degree of formality of RM processes and tools needed to conform with RBT requirements of ISO Management System Standards 9001, 14001 and the new OHSMS ISO 45001.

Q: Can I learn how to make our current risk matrix work better and more effectively without major changes?

A: Many past attendees were pleased that they were shown how to consider dramatic improvements to their existing risk matrix tool without necessarily complete replacement and the often accompanying trauma of major change.

We’re looking forward to Jim Whiting sharing all these valuable risk management best practices at the 2018 Global TapRooT® Summit!