Risk management in the context of implementing integrated quality, safety and environment management systems

Risk assessment is an integral part of implementing management systems as well as organisational decision making and knowledge management. However, especially in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), risk assessment is seldom implemented systematically and in a comprehensive way. SMEs struggle with their every day operations and have only limited recourses to contribute to risk management. There is a strong need for simple and effective risk management tools that do not concentrate just on some specific risk areas, but are able to deal with different sorts of risks in a coherent manner. In Finland risk management expert organisations have developed an innovative Toolkit to identify hazards and manage risks in SMEs. This toolkit, known as Risk Management Toolkit for SMEs, was developed with funding of the European Social Fund and Finnish Work Environmental Fund. The Toolkit was developed in co-operation with 150 Finnish SMEs. Over the years, thousands of Finnish SMEs, large companies and public organisations have used the Risk Management Toolkit to develop their risk management. During 2000 - 2001 VTT Industrial Systems, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, United Kingdom and Darmstadt University of Technology, Germany carried out a project to establish two training programmes in Finland, Germany and United Kingdom. The programmes focused on risk assessment, risk management and accident prevention by using the Risk Management Toolkit. One programme focused on the training of SMEs and the other one on the training of expert instructors. Project was financially supported by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work and the Finnish Work Environment Fund. The outcomes of this project showed that the Risk Management Toolkit is applicable to the use of SMEs in other countries. The British companies that attended the training felt that using the Toolkit raised awareness of risks and improve their risk management.