Comparing manual and computer assisted risk assessment

Risk assessment calculators are simple tools used to derive estimates of risk. However, any number of risks exist in an organisation at any one time. A significant challenge is to not only determine a risk's magnitude, but also how to control it and what priority should be given to it compared with other risks. This article presents both a manual and a computer-assisted method to meet this challenge. The data used to compare the methods were derived from a group risk assessment in a small- to medium-sized enterprise which manufactures wood products. The computer-assisted method used text mining (that is, a combination of linguistic and statistical processes) to retrieve appropriate data from a workers compensation claims database. Results suggest that the participants in this study made accurate assessments of risks and the process was effective in developing action plans. Computer-assisted risk assessments can improve risk estimates and have the potential to improve people's understanding of the causal injury process.