Page 108 - JSOM Winter 2017

to be 42% lower with the T-11 parachute overall and lower proper handrails, the mechanisms are the Soldier’s movement
under virtually all operational conditions. 10,30 The T-11 para- and the vertical distance from the top to the bottom of the
chute has now replaced the T-10 parachute for tactical jumps stairs, and the outcome could be an injured Soldier. Another
in the US Army. example is an airborne jump in high winds. In this case, the
hazard is the wind; the mechanism is increased vertical drift,
which can lead to higher impact velocities and less controlled
US Army Risk Management Process
PLFs; and the potential outcome is an injury that could affect
The US Army Risk Management Process is described as “the unit readiness by reducing manpower.
process of identifying, assessing, and controlling risks arising
from operational factors and making decisions that balance In step 2, the hazards are identified by envisioning how spe-
risk cost with mission benefits. The Army uses risk manage- cific conditions could lead to injuries and how those injuries
ment to help maintain combat power while ensuring mission could affect operations. Once the hazard is identified, the risk
accomplishment in current and future operations.” The US assessment matrix in Table 2 is used to assign a probability
31
Army Risk Management Process is a broad tool for assessing (i.e., likeliness the event will occur) and severity (i.e., expected
and managing risks of all types. The five steps of the process consequence) to the hazard. The result of this thinking is an
are shown in Figure 1. Steps 1 and 2 involve assessment of the initial assessment of the risk level. This assessment can be “ex-
risks and steps 3–5 involve management of the risks. tremely high,” “high,” “medium,” or “low.” As an example,
consider again airborne jumps in high winds. It is known that
Figure 1 The US Army Risk Management Process. many types of injuries might occur in this situation, includ-
ing ankle sprains, ankle fractures, contusions, lacerations, and
other injuries. It is also known that there is little difference
in injury risk until winds exceed 8 to 11 knots. The risk as-
13
sessment matrix requires assessing the probability of an injury
(columns) and its severity (rows). Examination of weather pat-
terns at one location, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, suggests
32
that winds above 8–11 knots seldom occur. Thus, “seldom”
is the selected column. The expected severity is judged to be
critical because of the possibility of a serious injury. Thus,
“critical” is the selected row. The junction of “seldom” and
“critical” in the risk assessment matrix (Table 2) is “medium.”

Step 3 begins the management of the injury risk and involves
developing controls and making risk decisions. Here, ways of
reducing hazards that may cause the injuries are envisioned.
Risk is then reassessed to see how much residual risk might
remain until the most effective controls are determined. Com-
In step 1, the hazard is defined as a condition with the potential manders at the appropriate level made the decision to accept
to cause (1) injury, illness, or death of personnel; (2) damage to or not accept the residual risk by determining if the benefits of
or loss of equipment or property; or (3) mission degradation. the action outweigh the potential costs.
To assist in identifying hazards, the risk manager assesses (1)
the source of the hazard, (2) the mechanism of injury, and (3) Controls generally involve education, physical controls, or
the potential outcome. Going back to an example provided in hazard elimination. Educational controls are implemented
part 1 of this series, consider a Soldier descending a stairway through individual and collective training aimed at providing
that has no handrail and is slick from recent coat of glossy awareness of hazards and control measures. Physical controls
paint. The source of the hazard is a slick stairway without involve barriers, guards, signs, and the like to warn individuals

Table 2 Risk Assessment Matrix 31
Probability (Expected Frequency)
Frequent a Likely b Occasional c Seldom d Unlikely e
Severity (expected consequence) A B C D E
Catastrophic: H H M
Death, unacceptable loss or damage, mission failure, or unit- I EH EH
readiness eliminated
Critical:
Severe injury, illness, loss or damage; significantly degraded unit II EH H H M L
readiness or mission capability
Moderate:
Minor injury, illness, loss, or damage; degraded unit readiness or III H M M L L
mission capability
Negligible:
Minimal injury, loss, or damage; little or no impact to unit IV M L L L L
readiness or mission capability
EH, extremely high risk; H, high risk; L, low risk; M, medium risk.
d
a Continuous, regular, or inevitable occurrences. Several or numerous occurrences. Sporadic or intermittent occurrences. Infrequent occur-
c
b
rence. Occurrence possible but improbable.
e
106 | JSOM Volume 17, Edition 4/Winter 2017