Risk-assessment teams use RAMs as part of an organization-specific risk management process. The cells inside the grid are used to indicate risk. RAMs appear as a two-dimensional grid with one axis having categories of harmful consequence and the other axis with categories for likelihood or probability. A tool used for assessing and evaluating risks is referred to in the OSH field as a risk table, risk grid, risk matrix, or (our preference) risk assessment matrix (RAM). Risk management today involves several processes, repeated periodically, to identify hazards, evaluate the associated risks, and assess various tactics for preventing and mitigating harm from those risks. The practice of occupational safety and health (OSH) has undergone a 50-year transition from being a mostly rule-following practice into a multi-faceted profession blending rules and risk management processes to achieve effective and feasible protection for employees, property, environment, and other business interests. Improvements in the probability terms were recommended. The prior recommendations for severity, likelihood, and extent of exposure were confirmed with minor modifications. The aim of the survey was to confirm or improve the prior recommended sets of terms. This paper provides background on risk assessment matrices, discusses usability issues, and presents findings from a survey of people with OSH-related experience. ![]() A previous project provided recommended sets of header terms for common matrices based on findings from a survey of undergraduate OSH students. Ideally, these header terms will help the risk assessment team distinguish among the categories. Each category has a text description separate from the matrix as well as a word or phrase heading each row and column. The cells within the table indicate level of risk. To account for both, a table format known as a risk assessment matrix uses rows and columns for ordered categories of the foreseeable severity of harm and likelihood/probability of that occurrence. In occupational safety and health (OSH), the process of assessing risks of identified hazards considers both the (i) foreseeable events and exposures that can cause harm and (ii) the likelihood or probability of occurrence.
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