Recently, we hosted an essential webinar discussing “Integrating Risk Assessments for Effective Management of Change,” presented by Dana Garber, VelocityEHS Senior Product Manager for Operational Risk. This session explored the dynamic relationship between Management of Change (MOC) and Risk Assessments, highlighting the importance of an integrated approach between them to:
- Pair the right risk assessments with different change scenarios.
- Effectively manage multiple risk dimensions involved in changes.
- Apply lessons learned for continuous improvement.
- Enhance risk mitigation and decision-making.
- Contribute to organizational resilience.
What is the dynamic relationship between Management of Change (MOC) and risk assessments?
Management of Change (MOC) serves as the foundation for safely executing changes at an organization, while risk assessments are responsible for identifying and minimizing potential risks linked to those changes. Management of Change (MOC) and risk assessments work hand-in-hand to enable companies to adapt and innovate while minimizing potential hazards and disruptions.
What are the types of assessments used for different change scenarios?
The three fundamental categories of these change scenarios are process, design, and personnel or strategy changes.
- Process Changes: When implementing process changes, like a change in job, task, or procedure, it is essential to identify potential hazards that could occur. Regularly updating job risk assessments ensures that new hazards or risks will be appropriately addressed and resolved, and process changes open the door to potential unknown risks or could modify existing ones. Job risk assessments to complete may be JSAs, JHAs, or JRAs. It’s essential to understand the significance of updating job risk assessments with process changes, as it helps prevent potential accidents or incidents and ensures employees’ continued safety and well-being.
- Design Changes: To assess potential risks that can occur as a result of design modifications, utilize process hazard analyses (PHAs). While this can be a lengthy process with many stakeholders, the systematic approach of PHA allows organizations to identify and implement the appropriate controls and safeguards needed. Conducting PHAs helps organizations identify and mitigate risks in the early stages, overall reducing the likelihood of incidents and enhancing safety. Watch the webinar to see an example from the Chemical Safety Board of a catastrophic equipment rupture, explosion, and fire that resulted from poorly managed design and process changes.
- Personnel or Strategy Changes: Proposed personnel modifications or strategy changes should have a business risk assessment completed to evaluate potential risks to the organization’s overall risk profile, including operational, financial, and reputational risks. It’s important to consider the impact on the overall organization and to include the right people in the assessment, as specific jobs and tasks might be siloed.
How can organizations effectively align Management of Change and risk assessments for ideal outcomes?
Organizations should focus on establishing clear communication channels, involving relevant stakeholders, and integrating appropriate risk assessments into the MOC framework. Moreover, creating standardized templates, defining clear roles and responsibilities, and fostering a risk-aware culture within the organization are critical elements for successful alignment.
How does integrating risk assessments with MOC ensure they’re completed in a timely manner?
By incorporating risk assessment milestones into the MOC process, you ensure that the risk assessments are conducted at the appropriate stages. This helps to keep people on track with assessments, which informs proactive decision-making and promotes effective risk mitigation strategies.
For more best practices on integrating risk assessment into your Management of Change framework, watch this webinar on demand now.
Elevate your Management of Change Process with VelocityEHS Operational Risk Solution Today!
The Management of Change (MOC) capabilities in the VelocityEHS Operational Risk Solution can help you streamline and verify your processes to reduce potential hazards associated with changes to your organization. With our MOC software, you’ll be able to easily maintain a record of changes and approvals, provide Management of Change program transparency, and maintain a clean audit trail with efficient tracking for each stage.
Be sure to attend more of our webinars on effective risk management. You can also learn more about Management of Change on our blog.