Risk Matrix

About the Risk Matrix

The Risk Matrix that appears in the Risk Assessment window allows you to make selections that are used in calculations to determine an overall risk rank value.

The values that you see in the Risk Matrix are determined by various records. The baseline APM database contains a Risk Matrix that you can use when evaluating risk, but if you do not want to use the baseline values, an administrative user can customize the default Risk Matrix or create a new Risk Matrix.

The following image displays the Risk Matrix that is provided in the baseline database, where no risk values have yet been specified.

Each tab in the Risk Matrix represents an area that might be affected if risk were to be presented. The Safety, Environment, and Operations tab each contains its own matrix, which combines in a grid format probability factors with consequence factors. The Financial tab contains text boxes that serve the same purpose.

Depending on how you access the Risk Assessment window, the risk matrix will represent either mitigated or unmitigated risk:

  • If you have accessed the Risk Assessment window from a record that represents risk before any actions have mitigated it (for example, a Failure Risk record in ASM or a Failure Effect node in an RCM Analysis), the specified risk values in each matrix are represented by a icon.
  • If you have accessed the Risk Assessment window from a record that represents an action that might mitigate risk (for example, an Action record in ASM or a Recommendation node in an RCM Analysis), the previously specified unmitigated risk values are represented by a icon and the mitigated risk values are represented by a icon.

When a risk value is selected, the number on the corresponding tab is updated to indicate the specified risk.

In addition, the cumulative values specified in the risk matrix are used in a calculation to determine the overall risk rank, which is displayed in either the Mitigated Risk Rank or Unmitigated Risk Rank section on the right side of the window.

Example

The Risk Assessment window shown in the following image was accessed from an Action record in ASM. You can see that the icon appears in the Risk Matrix, so you know that the values represent mitigating action (the name of the window also indicates this, by default).

You can see that the icon appears in the cell that contains the value 5, indicating that the mitigated risk for the Safety category is 5. This value also appears on the Safety tab. The cumulative Mitigated Risk Rank appears to the left of the Risk Matrix.

Disabled cells in a risk matrix

A cell may be disabled in the risk matrix when you are defining a mitigated risk assessment. This is because you can only select a consequence or probability value that is less than the unmitigated consequence or probability value.

Disabled cells will be colored slightly lighter than the enabled cells of the same color. For example, in the following image, you can see that some cells are slightly lighter, indicating that you must select a probability value less than or equal to 1 and a consequence value less than or equal to 100.

Another scenario where certain cells will be disabled in each matrix is if the Lock Mitigated Consequence check box is selected in the Risk Matrix record. In this scenario, when you are defining a mitigated risk assessment, you will not be able to modify the consequence value. Instead, you will be able to modify only the probability value.

About the Not Applicable Check Box

Each tab in the Risk Matrix contains the Not Applicable check box. If this check box is selected, it indicates that the risk category that is represented by that tab does not apply to the risk.

You might, for example, determine that a leak does not have a safety impact. In this case, when you are assessing the risk of the Leak Risk record, you would select the Not Applicable check box on the Safety tab. The following image shows the selected Not Applicable check box on the Safety tab for the Leak Risk record.

When you select the Not Applicable check box, the values on that tab will be disabled, and no unmitigated risk rank icon will appear. In addition, the tab label will contain the text N/A.

After you perform a risk assessment, multiple Risk Rank records are created, where the value in the Category field in each Risk Rank record represents a specific risk category (for example, Safety) that you assessed. If, for example, you create a Risk record with the name Leak, when you assess the risk using the Risk Matrix, multiple Risk Rank records will be created and linked to that Risk record. Each Risk Rank record will contain a value in the Category field to indicate the risk rank per category (for example, Safety). In addition, each Risk Rank record will contain the value True or False in the Not Applicable field to indicate whether or not you selected the Not Applicable check box on the tab representing that category.

So, using the Leak Risk record example, if you selected the Not Applicable check box on the Safety tab, the Leak Risk record would be linked to a Risk Rank record with the following values:

  • Category: Safety
  • Not Applicable: True

Preview a Risk Matrix

About This Task

When configuring Risk Matrices, you can preview a Risk Matrix to see how it will appear in the Risk Assessment window in other areas of APM.

Procedure

  1. Access the Risk Matrix Admin page.
  2. Select the row containing the Risk Matrix record that you want to preview.
  3. Select Preview.
    The Risk Assessment window appears, displaying the Risk Matrix.

Access a Risk Matrix Record

Procedure

  1. Access the Risk Matrix Admin page.
  2. Select the name of a Risk Matrix.
    The corresponding Risk Matrix record opens in Record Manager. The Record Explorer pane contains links to the related record that make up the values that appear on the Risk Matrix.

Copy a Risk Matrix

Procedure

  1. Access the Risk Matrix Admin page.
  2. Select the row containing the Risk Matrix record that you want to copy.
  3. Select Copy.
    The list is refreshed and displays the new Risk Matrix record in the list with the name Copy of <Name>. At this point, you can modify the new record.

Access the Consequences and Probabilities Associated with a Risk Matrix

About This Task

You can access the details of the Consequence and Probability records associated with a Risk Matrix via Record Manager.

Note: When viewing a Consequence or Probability record, you can make changes only if the corresponding Risk Matrix has not been used by a module in APM.

Procedure

  1. Access the Risk Categories associated with a Risk Matrix.
  2. Select the category associated with the consequence or probability that you want to access.
    The datasheet for the selected Risk Category record appears and the Record Explorer pane lists the families related to the selected Risk Category record.

  3. Under Related Families, select Consequence or Probability, depending on which type of record you want to access.
    A list of linked Consequence or Probability records, respectively, appears. You can select a record to view its datasheet.

Access the Risk Thresholds Associated with a Risk Matrix

Procedure

  1. Access the Risk Matrix record whose risk threshold details you want to access.
  2. In the Record Explorer pane, under Related Families, select Risk Threshold.
    A list of the linked Risk Threshold records appears in the Record Explorer pane. You can select a record to view its datasheet.

Add a New Risk Category

Procedure

  1. Access the Risk Categories associated with a Risk Matrix.
  2. In the Record Explorer pane, in the Risk Category heading, select .
    An options menu appears.

  3. If a Risk Category record already exists for the category you want to associate with the Risk Matrix:
    1. Select Link Existing Record.

      The Search window appears.

    2. Enter search criteria to locate the record that you want to associate with the Risk Matrix.
    3. Select the record, and then select OK.

    -or-

    If a Risk Category record does not already exist for the category you want to associate with the Risk Matrix:

    1. Select Add New Record.

      A blank datasheet for the new Risk Category appears.

    2. In the Category Name box, select a name from the drop-down menu.

      The Category Description box is populated automatically with the description that corresponds to the name value that you selected.

      If you select Financial for the Category Name, the Is Financial check box is automatically selected, signifying that the Risk Category will appear in the Financial tab of the Risk Matrix.

      Note: The values that you can select in a new Risk Category record are determined by the MI_RISK_CATEGORY System Code Table.
    3. In the Category Alias box, if the Use Aliases? check box is selected in the associated Risk Matrix record, specify a value that you want to appear on the Risk Matrix in the column heading along with the consequence name.
    4. In the Weight box, enter the number by which you want to multiply each selected value in the matrix.
    5. In the Index box, enter the number corresponding to the order in which you want the tab to appear, relative to all other tabs defined for the same Risk Matrix.
    6. Select .

      Your changes are saved and can be viewed in the matrix on the Risk Matrix Preview window.

Add a Consequence

About This Task

Note: You should not create more than ten Consequence records within a given Risk Matrix configuration. Creating more than ten Consequence records will cause the Risk Matrix to become visually unusable (for example, it will contain scroll bars, and the cells and text will be too small to read easily).

Procedure

  1. Access the Consequence records associated with a Risk Matrix.
  2. In the Record Explorer pane, in the Consequence heading, select .
    An options menu appears.

  3. If a Consequence record already exists for the consequence you want to associate with the Risk Matrix:
    1. Select Link Existing Record.

      The Search window appears.

    2. Enter search criteria to locate the record that you want to associate with the Risk Matrix.
    3. Select the record, and then select OK.

    -or-

    If a Consequence record does not already exist for the consequence you want to associate with the Risk Matrix:

    1. Select Add New Record.

      A blank datasheet for the new Consequence appears.

    2. In the Name box, select a name from the list.

      The Description box is populated automatically with the description that corresponds to the name value that you selected.

      Note: The values that you can select in a new Consequence record are determined by the MI_RISK_CONSEQUENCE System Code Table.
    3. In the Alias box, if the Use Aliases? check box is selected in the associated Risk Matrix record, specify a value that you want to appear on the Risk Matrix in the column header along with the consequence name.
    4. In the Consequence box, enter a number to indicate the severity of the consequence.
    5. Select .

    Your changes are saved and can be viewed in the matrix on the Risk Matrix Preview window.

Add a Probability

About This Task

Note: You should not create more than ten Probability records within a given Risk Matrix configuration. Creating more than ten Probability records will cause the Risk Matrix to become visually unusable (for example, it will contain scroll bars, and the cells and text will be too small to read easily).

Procedure

  1. Access the Probability records associated with a Risk Matrix.
  2. In the Probability heading, select .
    An options menu appears.

  3. If a Probability record already exists for the probability you want to associate with the Risk Matrix:
    1. Select Link Existing Record.

      The Search window appears.

    2. Enter search criteria to locate the record that you want to associate with the Risk Matrix.
    3. Select the record, and then select OK.

    -or-

    If a Probability record does not already exist for the probability you want to associate with the Risk Matrix:

    1. Select Add New Record.

      A blank datasheet for the new Probability record appears.

    2. In the Name box, select a name from the list.

      The Description box is populated automatically with the description that corresponds to the name value that you selected.

      Note: The values that you can select in a new Probability record are determined by the MI_RISK_PROBABILITY System Code Table.
    3. In the Alias box, if the Use Aliases? check box is selected in the associated Risk Matrix record, specify a value that you want to appear on the Risk Matrix in the column heading along with the consequence name.
    4. In the Probability box, enter a number to indicate the likelihood that the risk will occur.
    5. Select .
      Note: The Failure Interval and Failure Interval Units values are used only for a specific workflow within the Asset Strategy Optimization module.

    Your changes are saved and can be viewed in the matrix on the Risk Matrix Preview window.

Add a Risk Threshold

Procedure

  1. Access the Risk Threshold records associated with a Risk Matrix.
  2. In the Record Explorer pane, in the Risk Threshold heading, select .
    An option menu appears.
  3. If a Risk Threshold record already exists for the consequence you want to associate with the Risk Matrix:
    1. Select Link Existing Record.

      The Search window appears.

    2. Enter search criteria to locate the record that you want to associate with the Risk Matrix.
    3. Select the record, and then select OK.

    -or-

    If a Risk Threshold record does not already exist for the consequence you want to associate with the Risk Matrix:

    1. Select Add New Record.

      A blank datasheet for the new Risk Threshold appears.

    2. In the Alias box, , if the Use Aliases? check box is selected in the associated Risk Matrix record, specify a value that you want to appear on the Risk Matrix in the column heading along with the consequence name.
    3. In the Description box, select from the drop-down menu.
      Note: The values that you can select in a new Risk Threshold record are determined by the MI_RISK_THRESHOLD System Code Table.
    4. In the Value box, enter the value that you want to correspond to the risk threshold.
    5. In the Color field, select the color that you want to set for this risk threshold.
    6. Select .

    Your changes are saved and can be viewed in the matrix on the Risk Matrix Preview window.

Associate a Risk Matrix with a Site

Procedure

  1. Access the Risk Matrix record that you want to associate with a site.
  2. In the Record Explorer pane, under Related Families, select Site Reference.
    Note: If Site Reference does not appear, select , and then select All Possible Families.
  3. Select .
    An options menu appears.

  4. If a Site Reference record already exists for the site you want to associate with the Risk Matrix:
    1. Select Link to Existing Record.

      The Search window appears.

    2. Enter search criteria to locate the record that you want to associate with the Risk Matrix.
    3. Select the record, and then select OK.

    -or-

    If a Site Reference record does not already exist for the site you want to associate with the Risk Matrix:

    1. Select Add New Record.

      A blank datasheet for the new Site Reference record appears.

    2. In the Name box, enter the name of the site.
    3. Select .

    The Risk Matrix is associated with the specified site.

Access the System Code Tables Used by Risk Matrices

Procedure

  1. Access the Risk Matrix Admin page.
  2. Select System Codes and Tables.
    The System Codes and Tables page appears.

  3. In the System Tables list, select the System Code Table that you want to view.
    The details of the System Code Table appear in the page.

    In this page you can manage the System Code Table values for the families that are linked to Risk Matrix records. Refer to the System Codes and Tables section of the documentation for additional information.