Global training providers of management training curriculums offer management programmes that cover a variety of managerial occupations. These courses can cover leadership and management training for professionals working in the oil and gas industry, the legal profession, finance, human resources, public relations and sales. Development coursework is also featured for executive secretaries.
Courses featured in operations management focus on such areas as project management and facilities management. Training in facilities management, in particular, offers a good grounding in developing one’s expertise in operations and related activities, such as the implementation of maintenance and safety within a work environment or the assessment of risk.
In fact, one of the primary sub-categories addressed in operations management and in facilities management, in particular, is health and environmental efficiency. Risk assessment and risk mitigation are two key subject areas that influence sustainability and safety in the workplace today.
Therefore, operations management training courses cover risk assessment and risk mitigation in their educational and training itineraries. These two areas of concentration are necessary to manage a healthy and safe working environment. Basically, a risk assessment entails considering what might cause people harm and taking the steps necessary to prevent the harm from occurring. Risk assessment is mandated by law and therefore is always part of the training involved in educating managers who work in operations.
However, that being said, the requirement is not set forth for companies that have 5 or fewer employees. Nevertheless, any facilities manager or project executive needs to address the hazards and risks within the workplace as he is still responsible for any liability that can occur as a result.
When learning about risk assessment in an operations management training course, you will be guided to take an approach that involves several steps. First, you want to identify the hazards. A hazard is anything that may cause harm or injury, such as a chemical, a drawer that has been left open, electricity and ladders that are used on the job or a broken step.
Once you have made an identification, you need to determine who might be harmed or injured and how. An evaluation is necessary to decide on the precautions that must be taken. Record any significant findings before reviewing your assessment and updating the information.
You Do Not Need to Have a Public Health and Safety Background
As an operations manager or facilities manager, you do not need to be an expert in public health and safety to perform a risk assessment. You only need to evaluate your workplace in order to meet your company’s requirements for providing an environment that is easier to manage and considered more worker-friendly.
The first way to begin to assess risk is to simply walk around the place or facility in which you work, noting the potential for hazard. Think about what processes or activities are being instituted or being used that could injure or harm an employee. When you are used to working in an environment each, it can be easy to bypass some of the dangers. Therefore, the following tips can help you I.D. the hazards that matter.
How to Make a Reasonable Assessment
Operations management skills extend to risk assessment that is detailed, documented and organised. In order to make a reliable assessment, you need to do the following:
- Check the data sheets for the equipment or chemicals that you use in your workplace. Learn more about the main chemicals or equipment that is used.
- Review the health record and accident reports for your facility to identify any hazards that are less obvious.
- Check to see which hazards can be considered long-term. What types of exposures or noises are regularly affecting employees?
You also want to account for non-routine types of operations, such as cleaning maintenance or alterations in production cycles.
Once you learn the ins and outs of performing a risk assessment, you have it in your power to better manage risk by providing training and information yourself for your employees. You can even research and write the health and safety policy for your company.
Learning the Basic Steps Involved in Risk Assessment and Risk Mitigation
Learning risk assessment and risk mitigation in an operations management training programme extends to a variety of sectors. Risk assessment varies, depending on the field. For example, assessing risk in a medical facility, such as a clinic, is different than what it is, obviously, in a mine or a quarry. The same holds true if you are an operations manager at an offshore drilling site or waste management facility. Each industry features separate and distinct environments with their own set of risks and concerns for public and employee safety.
Risk mitigation seeks to lessen the probability of an unsafe event by implementing the necessary measures to manage and reduce the possibility injury or harm. The steps taken in mitigation can be time-consuming and costly. Yet, they often are preferable to moving ahead with an unmitigated risk. In certain instances, a facility or project manager and his team must accept certain risks in the workplace. The risk is not mitigated. Instead, the manager and his team have decided to address the risk when and if it occurs.
Handling Risk: Considering Your Options
In sum, a risk may be dealt with as follows:
- It may be ignored and dealt with if it occurs;
- It may be recognized but no action is taken;
- It may be avoided by taking certain steps;
- It may be reduced by means of an alternative method;
- It may be transferred to another entity via insurance;
- It may be retained and absorbed; or
- It may be dealt with by a combination of the above solutions.
The above listing of risk response alternatives assists in formalising risk management planning and mitigation. Learning these options is just one small facet of project management or facilities management training. If you are interested in the operational side of management, you need to possess a good foundation in assessing and managing risk and addressing its potential in the working environment.