A risk assessment is a structured process for identifying hazards in a planned task, evaluating how likely and how severe potential harm could be, and putting control measures in place before the work begins — required under most companies’ Safety Management Systems (SMS) for non-routine or higher-risk operations.
The Basic Process
- Identify hazards — what could realistically go wrong in this specific task
- Identify who might be harmed and how
- Evaluate risk — considering both likelihood and severity of potential harm
- Determine control measures — actions to eliminate or reduce the risk to an acceptable level
- Record the assessment and communicate it to everyone involved in the task
- Review — especially if conditions change during the work
When Risk Assessments Are Required
- Enclosed space entry
- Hot work (welding, cutting)
- Working aloft or over the side
- Any non-routine task with genuine hazard potential
- Following an incident or near-miss, to reassess a task previously considered routine
Risk Assessment and Permit to Work
For higher-risk tasks, a formal risk assessment is typically paired with a Permit to Work system — the risk assessment identifies hazards and controls, and the permit formally authorizes work only once those controls are confirmed in place.
Why This Matters Beyond Paperwork
Genuine risk assessment — actually thinking through what could go wrong before starting, not just filling in a form — is directly linked to preventing shipboard accidents. Treating it as a bureaucratic formality rather than a real safety tool defeats its purpose.
Exam Relevance
Risk assessment principles and their application to shipboard operations are core Safety Management topics in deck and engine officer competency exams.