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- Conquering Risk Management: Risk Assessment and Contingency Planning (2 days)
Conquering Risk Management: Risk Assessment and Contingency Planning (2 days)
Managers who can spot the risks in their unit, rate them consistently and have a contingency plan ready before something goes wrong.
Every unit carries risk: a key supplier that fails, a system that goes down during load-shedding, an injury on the floor, a fraud nobody noticed. Most managers deal with these as they happen. Risk assessment training gives them a simple, repeatable way to see risks coming, judge which ones matter and have a plan ready before the damage is done.
Over two days delegates learn to map their unit's critical processes, identify business and workplace risks, rate them for likelihood and consequence, and choose the right response: avoid, reduce, transfer or accept. Day two focuses on controls and contingency planning, including the hierarchy of controls for workplace hazards, emergency and accident response plans, and testing and revising plans so they still work when they are needed.
Delegates work on their own unit throughout and leave with a rated risk list and a first contingency plan. South African examples cover the Occupational Health and Safety Act, POPIA data breaches, power and water interruptions, and supplier failure.
Why this course
For your organisation
- Risks identified and rated the same way across units
- Contingency plans in place for the risks that matter most
- Fewer incidents, injuries and disruptions that catch the business by surprise
- Support for health and safety, data protection and governance obligations
For your delegates
- A simple, repeatable risk assessment method
- Likelihood and consequence scales you can use straight away
- A rated risk list and first contingency plan for your own unit
- Confidence to explain and defend risk decisions to management
What delegates will be able to do
- Map the critical processes in your unit and where they could fail
- Distinguish hazards from risks, and business risks from workplace safety risks
- Identify risks through walk-throughs, staff input, scenarios and records
- Rate risks for likelihood and consequence and set priorities
- Choose a risk response: avoid, reduce, transfer or accept
- Apply the hierarchy of controls to workplace hazards
- Write a contingency plan with triggers, actions, roles and resources
- Test, review and update control measures and contingency plans
Who should attend
Managers, supervisors and team leaders, operations and branch managers, SHE coordinators, project managers and small-business owners who need a practical way to assess and control the risks in their area. No previous risk management training is needed.
Course outline
Day 1 – Identifying and assessing risk
Risk in a business unit
- What risk is, and the difference between a hazard and a risk
- Types of risk: operational, financial, safety, environmental, legal, reputational and information
- Why unmanaged risk is expensive
- Risk as everybody's responsibility
Understanding your processes
- Mapping the unit's critical processes
- Single points of failure and dependencies
- Using policies and procedures to see where risk sits
- Exercise: mapping one process in your unit
Identifying risks
- Workplace walk-throughs and inspections
- Consulting employees and using incident records
- Brainstorming and what-if scenarios, including external events
- Risks unique to your industry
- Case study
Assessing and prioritising risk
- Likelihood scales and consequence scales
- Building and reading a risk matrix
- Short-term and long-term risks
- Worst-case scenarios and business impact
- Exercise: rating your unit's top ten risks
Day 2 – Controlling risk and planning contingencies
Responding to risk
- The four responses: avoid, reduce, transfer and accept
- When accepting a risk is the right call
- Insurance and contracts as ways to transfer risk
- Case study
Control measures
- The hierarchy of controls: eliminate, substitute, isolate, engineering controls, administrative controls and PPE
- The employer's general duty under the Occupational Health and Safety Act to eliminate or reduce hazards as far as reasonably practicable
- Deciding whether existing controls are adequate
- Tracking and updating control measures
Contingency planning
- Defining risk scenarios and triggers
- Writing an action plan with roles, resources and contact lists
- Emergency action and accident response plans
- Keeping plans simple and easy to find
Testing and revising plans
- Drills and walk-through tests
- Learning from incidents and near misses
- Reviewing and updating plans after change
- Reporting and communicating risk across the business
Action plan and close
- Completing your unit risk list and first contingency plan
- Personal action plan
- Evaluation and close
How it is delivered
Two days, 08:30-16:00. In person at your offices anywhere in South Africa, at a BOTI venue, or live online. One delegate or a group of up to 20; examples tailored to your industry on request. Workbook, risk matrix and contingency plan templates included. We deliver it at your offices in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town and anywhere else in South Africa, at a BOTI venue in Johannesburg, or live online for teams in different places.
What our clients say
★★★★★ 4.8 on Google from 790+ reviews · word-for-word quotes from signed letters of reference, from clients on this and/or related BOTI courses
“All training programmes were delivered in a highly professional manner, with effective coordination and strict adherence to our scheduling requirements. The facilitators demonstrated a commendable level of expertise, and the quality of delivery consistently met our expectations.”
“The course was efficiently scheduled and planned around our timetable. We were impressed by the quality of training”
“All training sessions were well-coordinated, professionally delivered, and aligned with our scheduling requirements. We were particularly impressed by the high standard of facilitation and the depth of expertise demonstrated throughout the programmes.”
Frequently asked questions
Can you run this course at our offices?
Yes. We train at client premises anywhere in South Africa, at a BOTI venue, or live online. On-site groups can include a walk-through of their own workplace.
How many delegates can attend?
From one delegate to a group of about 20. The price per delegate drops as the group grows – see the price table, or ask us for a quote.
Is the course accredited?
No. It is a non-accredited short course, and delegates receive a BOTI certificate of attendance.
Can we bring our existing safety and risk documents?
Yes, please do. The facilitator uses your current risk assessments, procedures and incident records to show how to tailor and update them.
What is the difference between the two-day and three-day courses?
The two-day course covers risk assessment, controls and contingency planning. The three-day Conquering Risk Management Course adds business impact analysis and a full workshop day in which delegates build their unit's risk register and test a contingency plan in a tabletop exercise.
Does it replace role-specific safety training?
No. It covers the risk assessment principles managers need. Training for specific safety roles, such as health and safety representatives or first aiders, is separate.
Related courses
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