Risk Assessment Spe and Gar
Risk Assessment Spe and Gar
Risk Assessment Spe and Gar
The SPE model assesses risks for specific hazards, such as those involved in launching or recovering a small
boat or aircraft, by determining risk as a function of severity, probability, and exposure; i.e., Risk = f (S,P,E).
This model uses this formula:
Risk = Severity x Probability x Exposure
Severity: Severity is an events potential consequences measured in terms of degree of damage, injury,
or impact on a mission. Should something go wrong, the results are likely to occur in one of the following
areas:
Injury or Death
Equipment Damage
Mission Degradation
Reduced Morale
Adverse Publicity
Administrative and/or Disciplinary Actions.
Probability: Probability is the likelihood that the potential consequences will occur. Probability can vary
from 1 to 5:
Exposure: Exposure is the amount of time, number of occurrences, number of people, and/or amount of
equipment involved in an event, expressed in time, proximity, volume, or repetition. Exposure can vary from 1
to 4:
Severity
1 = None or slight
2=Minimal
3=Significant
4=Major
5=Catastrophic
Probability
1 = Impossible or remote under any conditions
2 = Unlikely under normal conditions
3 = About 50 / 50
4 = Greater than 50 / 50
5 = Very likely to happen
Exposure
1 = None or below average
2=Average
3=Above Average
4=Great
Risk: By computing the level of risk, we can evaluate its potential impact on mission effectiveness and execution. After computing the risk values using the formula Risk = S x P x E, we need to control substantial to
very high values:
Values
80-100
60-79
40-59
20-39
1-19
Degree of Risk
Very High
High
Substantial
Possible
Slight
Guidance
Discontinue, Stop
Correct Immediately
Correction Required
Attention Needed
Possibility Acceptable
After computing the risk levels for each hazard identified, we can order hazards from the highest to the lowest risk to focus first on the areas of most concern in conditions of limited resources.
23
10
20
GREEN
(Low Risk)
44
30
40
AMBER
(Caution)
60
50
RED
(High Risk)
The ability to assign numerical values or color codes to hazards using the GAR Model is not the most important part of risk assessment. What is critical to this step is team discussions leading to an understanding of the risks and how they will be managed.