Are we damaging risk?

Risk it is a four letter word, yet a word within safety circles that causes so much tension and can be the fuel to many heated debates.

'The effect of uncertainty on objectives' - International Organisation for Standardization (ISO)

'Risk is the chance, high or low, of somebody being harmed by the hazard, and how serious the harm could be.' - Health and Safety Executive (HSE)

A quick search would lead people to a number of definitions of this four letter word, as illustrated above. After numerous discussions with some very educated people what I have managed to deduce is that;

1. We will never agree on the definition of risk
2. We all seem to believe that when assessing risk we need to consider two broad (I use the word broad intentionally) things;

Risk = Consequence x Likelihood

But that is not what I am here to look at. What I am here to try have you reflect on is...

'Are we doing more damage to risk in the way we manage, speak and educate about it than good?'

We (and yes I know I have) seem to always talk about the 'consequence' of risk in a negative light. We appear to always be focused on the bad stuff. Broken bones, bruising, physiological trauma, cuts and of course death!
Even when I went to Google and tried to find a definition of consequence I was given, 'a result or effect, typically one that is unwelcome or unpleasant'.

Really? Are we actually all that pessimistic about life that everything will result in unpleasant events? What gets me is, then we all stand back and wonder why we continually seem to have to drag the 'non-safety professional' kicking and screaming with us? I know when I was a child and my parents tried to take me to an 'unpleasant' event or when I knew the result was going to be 'unwelcomed' I went kicking and screaming.

Do we as safety professionals suffer from some form of 'white knight syndrome'? If we paint the world as a dark horrible place we can come riding in with our hierarchy of controls to save everyone?

So again I challenge you...

'Are we doing more damage to risk in the way we manage, speak and educate about it than good?'

With a 17 year background in adventure education and reflecting back on past experiences and present knowledge I feel positive risk appreciation is needed.
I think we need to lift the veil on the word risk, let it get some sunlight, some rays of hope!

I will give you an example. There are some members of our society who need some help with risk perception and tools to manage risk. These are members of our society who take some pretty big risks, risks which may result in (and does for some) death. Not only of themselves, but innocent members of society. Some of them have been taking these risks for a lifetime.
Sometimes they have been caught, sometimes they have not. For the ones I am working with, they have been caught and are presented with an opportunity to make a change.

That is where the use of the outdoors as an education medium comes in. But what do we do? These are some pretty big risk takers. To date nothing has worked. If they continue the way they are then it is highly likely a death sentence ... for someone.
So after showing them how to use some risk management tools, in a warm friendly 'safe' environment we need them to really see how they work. Otherwise everything to date is pointless. These tools will need to be applied in real life situations where the consequences are real.
So there is a need to place them into a real risk environment. It is in this environment that the real learning takes place. The realisation that the tools they have been provided with works. The realisation that they can manage risk (and actually still have a good time). It is the end result of this real risk situation that changes lives.
Now if we were to take the common health and safety risk management approach we would not get anywhere near this life changing activity. The risks would be deemed to great, the costs to prohibitive to implement common controls, so the decision would be to find an alternative or not do it.
Now would we still achieve life changing results by not placing these learners in this situation. I think not. Over 11 - 12 years, the programme has evolved to this point. We have tried a number of different 'endings' and while success has been had along the way. The greatest success in the programme is now.

So what are we doing differently? Well we are looking at risk in the traditional sense of considering the consequence in terms of that unpleasant result. But more importantly I believe we are looking at the positive result and assessing that against the negative. In this case the positive outcome for these individuals, their whanau and society far out ways the risk of a negative outcome.

So I challenge you. Stop putting risk in a dark cupboard. Put your horse in the stable, hang up your Knighthood. Don't only think of it as negative. But consider the positive outcomes, Talk about the positive outcomes and way that up against the negative consequence.

Risk = (Negative Consequence x Likelihood) + (Positive Consequence x Likelihood)

Go on try this formula and let me know what you think? Have conversations about risk in a positive tone.

Let me know if anything changes when you talk about risk in a positive light? Do more people join you on the journey to realisation that risk needs to be managed? Do you get a following of people dancing to the same beat?