Risk Assessment
To be prepared is to be vigilant of your changing community and operations. Assessing risks determines areas to focus preparations, prioritize assistance and restoration of services, as well as predicting long term vulnerabilities to our campus. Based on the current threat landscape, Emergency Management and Mission Continuity (EMMC) has revised the risk assessment tool used to assess our preparedness, to include the most relevant risks & hazard threat models of concern.
Units and colleges review the risk assessment annually, as a component of Pack Planning. The risks identified are then used to make plans, educate staff and rally resources – from mitigation to responding and recovery. Risks change regularly and may be beyond our control, so regular conversation helps units understand what is needed from team members, for the physical locations used for unit activities and resources/assets.
People
Risk assessments may be used to determine how many people are impacted (continuity and relocation), how many people may be needed to respond and recovery (Mandatory Employee designations in MyPack –NCSU REG 04.20.07 (Adverse Weather and Other Emergency Conditions are connected to Pack Plans) and long term implications for continued services. Think about how people in your unit are impacted for each of these risk assessment categories:
- Fire and Explosions
- Medical Events
- Hazardous Materials
- Transporation Accidents
- Evacuations and Natural Disasters
- Utilities and Infrastructure Damage
- Violence/Threat/Interpersonal Issues
Use the screenshots below for examples of events within each of the categories above.
Places
Emergency events may impact buildings or locations that host campus activities – classrooms, laboratories, special event venues, farms and more. Consider the impacts to your unit’s facilities when assessing risk. Make a list of all the places programs use and consider what if one or more of them is unavailable for 24 hours? 5 days? 1 month or longer? Where will you go?
For alternative work locations on campus, mutual aid agreements should be established well before the emergency hits. This could be used for shared building spaces, swing work areas or other locations needed to complete campus operations. For assistance with mutual aid arrangements and MOUs, give us a call!
Resources
Many units have special resources needed for their operations – beyond the usual laptop, desks and chairs. Consider the resources, equipment, assets and more that your unit uses in daily operations and what would be required to continue those activities uninterrupted. Then, make a list by asking these questions:
- What do we need?
- What do we have?
- What do we need to borrow if ours are unavailable?
- Are these items insured and new ones could be purchased?
- How long can we afford to wait and be without?
This list should never collect dust and be revised regularly as your daily activities change!
Where can you find the risk assessment?
Your unit pack plan is where this risk assessment tool lives. It has been developed in accordance with NCSU REG 04.20.07 (Adverse Weather and Other Emergency Conditions). Emergency events presented in the risk assessment should be considered to assess the likely occurrence of an incident and the level of impact to your mission critical services that warrants significant mitigation planning.
