Risk assessment began as a discipline in the late 1960s, with some of the earliest formal papers published in the early 1970s. The early researchers were part of the US military and were interested in finding ways to reduce the risks for military personnel carrying out their duties.
Since then, risk assessment has become a key part of reducing risk to manufacturers, employers, and workers. Today, extensive risk assessment research is being done by organizations and universities around the world.
Risk assessment involves identifying hazards and deciding how likely they are to result in harm to people. If you want to know more, see this series on our blog.
How we can help
For those new to risk assessment, we can provide training and facilitation services, as well as conducting risk assessments on your products. We have both public and private training available.
Books
Risk Assessment: Basics and Benchmarks, Bruce Main. See the IEEE Xplore Review
Innovations in Safety Management, Fred Manuele, Sept 2001
On the Practice of Safety, Fred Manuele, 3rd edition, 2003.
Podcasts
PreAccident Investigation Podcast (USA) — Dr. Todd Conklin
The Safety of Work (Australia) — Dr. Drew Rae and Dr. David Provan
Web Sites
CCOHS: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety
Risk Analysis – risk analyst social network