Risk Assessments, why are they so important?
A risk assessment is a document in which certain risks of a project are set out and where you also set out the actions you are going to take to minimise or eliminate them. We have created a risk assessment for our project.
When creating a risk assessment, the overall aim is to isolate a risk which can then be evaluated to discover the level of risk associated and finally put a controlled measurement in place to minimise or completely avoid any risks of danger or (in our case) the launch being compromised. The most essential part of making a risk assessment is planning. The more issues you can plan to avoid, the smaller the chance of issues arising on the day. Everyone should read the risk assessment and should be reminded of all the risks that involve them and their team on the day.
If, on the day, any issues do occur, it is important to be both reactive and proactive – meaning that resolutions should be created quickly and acted upon effectively to ensure the issues have a minimal effect on the overall outcome of the day.
Once we have released the balloon and the launch has been completed, we need to continue to plan for risks of the balloon’s journey. For example, we have fitted a radar reflector to our balloon so that any aircraft in the area can be made aware of the balloon’s location.
Finally, we also need to consider the risks relating to the balloon’s landing. We can take steps to try to ensure the landing zone is not a town or a busy road. However, we cannot be absolutely certain where our balloon will land. Therefore, we have insurance for that risk.
References:
https://www.brownssafetyservices.co.uk/blog/why-risk-assessments-so-important/
