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Identifying and Managing Business Risks

Running a business comes with many types of risk. Some hazards can destroy a company, while others can cause serious damage that is costly and time-consuming to repair. Despite the risks implicit in doing business, CEOs and 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:risk management officers can anticipate and prepare, regardless of💃 the size of their business.

Key Takeaways

  • Some risks can destroy a business or cause serious damage that can be costly.
  • Organizations should identify which risks pose a threat to their operations.
  • A risk management consultant can recommend a strategy that includes staff training, safety checks, equipment and space maintenance, and insurance policies.

Facility Risks

Manufacturing plants, warehouses, and office buildings pose various risks for businesses and management. Organizations commonly implemen💛t the following safeguards:

  • Employees should know the street address of the building to alert a 911 operator.
  • Employees should know the location of all exits.
  • Install fire alarms and smoke detectors.
  • Install a sprinkler system to protect the physical plant, equipment, documents, and personnel.
  • Hold fire drills and routine safety training sessions.

Tip

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, under the U.S. Department of Labor, ensures that workers have 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:safe working conditions. OSHA sets and enforces safety standards and provides training and assistance to companies and employees.


Hazardous Materials

Hazardous material risk is present where spills or accidents are possible and include substances like acid, ga♒s, toxic fumes, toxic dust or filings, and poisonous liquids or waste. Fire department hazardous material units are prepared to handle these types of disasters. Employees should be properly equipped and trained to handle these materials safely.

Government agencies and local fire departments provide information to prevent these accidents. The U.S. Department of Transportation mandates companies and their employees who transport hazardous materials follow training requirements per federal law.

Location Risks

Among the location hazards facing a business are nearby fires, storm damage, floods, hurricanes or tornados, earthquakes, and other natural disasters. Employees should be familiar with the streets leading in and out of the neighborhood on all sides of the place of business. Liability or property and casualty insurance is often used to transfer the financial burden of location risks to a third party or a business insurance company.

Personnel Risks

澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Embezzlement, theft, and fraud may appear in the workplace. A system of double-signature requirements for checks, invoices, and payables verification can help prevent embezzlement an💧d fraud. A thorough background check before hiring personnel can uncover previous ﷽offenses.

Illness, injury, and addictions can affect employees. To prevent loss🐓 of productivity, companies can train backup personnel to handle the work of critical employees when they are absent due to a health-related concern. Employees may need to seek treatment, counseling, and rehabilitation if necessary. Some insurance policies may provide partia💙l coverage for the cost of treatment.

Management may make mistakes and pose risks to the company related to bias, racism, sexism, harassment, corruption, discrimination, pollutive actions, and 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:carelessness about the environment. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is one resource that offers harassment prevention and respectful workplace training.

Technology Risks

Auxiliary gas-driven power generators are a reliable backup that provides electricity for lighting and other functions during outages. Organizations should furnish 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:critical business systems with surge-protection devices to avoid the loss🔥 of documents and the destruction of equipment.

Cloud storage involves backing up data with sources like IBM Cloud Storage. Companies can establish offline and online dat𓂃a b🌄ackup systems to protect critical documents.

Strategic Risks

Financial institutions such as banks or credit unions take on strategy risk when lending to consumers. Pharmaceutical companies are exposed to strategy risk through 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:research and development for a new drug. Each of these strategy-relate🅘d risks is iﷺnherent in an organization's business objectives.

Companies exposed to substantial strategy risk can mitigate the potential for negative consequences by creating and maintaining infrastructures that support high-risk projects. A system established to control the financial hardship when a risky venture fails often includes diversification of current projects, healthy cash flow, or the ability to finance new projects affordably, and a comprehensive process to review and analyze potential ventures based on future 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:return on investment.

Risk Assessment

Companies can rank the probability of risks 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:after the risks h༺ave been identified. The first step is to establish a probability scale for 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:risk assessment:

  1. Very likely to occur
  2. Some chance of occurring
  3. A small chance of occurring
  4. Unlikely to occur

Actuaries use prediction models to 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:estimate risk levels. These prediction models are based on assumptions that aim to reflect real life and the need for insurance. 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Actuarial tables provide🧜 a statistical analysis of the probability of any risk occurring and the potent🅷ial financial damage.

Insurance and Prevention

Many risks are insurable. Fire insurance and product liability insurance are common company policies. The risk of fraud or 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:embezzlement where employees handle money or perform accounting duties is covered by specialized insurance companies that underwrite a cash bond to provide financial coverage. "Employee Dishonesty Insurance," or a “fidelity bond,” offers protection against losses caused by an employee's misconduct.

The extent of insurance coverage against injury depends on the nature of the business. A heavy manufacturing plant will require more extensive coverage for employees. Product liability insurance is also a necessity i🙈n this context. Hiring a risk management consultant may help prevent and manage risks.

Preventing risk requires employee training, background checks, safety checks, equipment maintenance, and maintenance of the physical premises. A single, accountable staff member with managerial authority should be appointed to handle risk management responsibilities. A risk management committee may also beꦏ formed.

Important

It is legal for an employer to ask questions about an employee's background, or to require a background check. However, there are restrictions on obtaining medical and genetic

information.

When Should Risks Be Identified?

For startups and established businesses, the ability to identify risks is a key part of strategic business planning. Strategies to identify these risks rely on comprehensively analyzing a company's business activities.

What Are the Benefits of Risk Management?

If and when a risk becomes a reality, a well-prepared business can minimize the impact on earnings♐, lost time and productivity, a♎nd impact on customers.

What Are the Ways That Organizations Handle Risk?

Most organizations face preventable, strategic, and external threats 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:that can be managed through acceptance, transfer, reduction, or elimination. Training policie♏s, safety programs, and insurance help companies choose how to handle risks.

The Bottom Line

While 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:business risks abound and their consequences can be destructive, there are ways and means to prevent them, and minimize their damage, if and when the🎉y occur꧂. Hiring a risk management consultant may be worthwhile when implementing a strategy.

Article Sources
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  2. U.S. Department of Transportation. "." Page 3.

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  4. EEOC. "."

  5. IBM. "."

  6. The Surety & Fidelity Association of America. ""

  7. EEOC. "."

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