Free Risk Assessment Template for Construction

Free Risk Assessment Template for Construction

Download
our Free Construction Risk Assessment Template as we understand that
managing risk is critical to every part of construction project.
Assessing all the various risk categories can be a daunting prospect if a
project manager does not have access to a library of templates and
software to help them manage the process.

Every
single construction project has risks that cannot be completely
removed. Understanding and documenting historically identified risks can
help to mitigate and prevent them from impacting on future projects.
Creating a database of risks with templates can then be re-purposed for a
new construction project.

 

Understanding your risks

Completing
a free construction risk assessment template gives you a clear picture
of the things that can cause project delays. A risk assessment template
is a tool to help identify risks, the probability of occurrence and
impact on the project.

By
identifying risks early, you can be proactive in taking steps to avoid
or prevent them. Record the following on the risk assessment template
when you identify:

1. where each risk occurs
2. type of risk, and who or what it impacts
3. the probability of it occurring and the impact intensity
4. preventive measures to reduce or remove the impact intensity and probability of occurrence.

Risk assessment forms

To
understand how to fill out a free construction risk assessment template
(see Table 1), here is a guide to filling out the details in a risk
assessment form:

1. Problem Area or Task. During this phase, identify all the problem areas or tasks where there are possible risks.
2. Identified Risk. This where you record each identified risk against each problem area or task.
3. Description. Add a short description of the risk and the damage it will cause if realized.
4. Probability
   of Occurring. Risk probability assessment examines the likelihood of
   each specific risk occurring. Rate risk probabilities and impacts
   according to predetermined definitions. Display them in a probability
   and impact matrix (see Table 2). What constitutes a high and low risk is
   usually an area determined by your organization:
   1. High. High means there is a 70 to 100 percent of the risk occurring.
   2. Moderate. Moderate means the risk has a 30 to 70 percent chance of occurring.
   3. Low. Use Low for risks that have less than a 30 percent of occurring.
5. Impact
   Intensity. Risk impact assessment examines the potential impact that a
   risk can have on project objectives. For example, cost, schedule,
   performance or quality. It includes assessment of positive and negative
   risks (eg. opportunities and threats).
6. Risk
   Priority Level. Assign a risk priority level based on the probability
   of occurrence using a scale of 1 to 5. Number 1 means high priority and 5
   the lowest.
7. Existing Measures. Consider what policies and procedures are already in place that prevent or reduce the impact of each risk.
8. Mitigation
   Strategy. Once the analysis of all risks is complete, the team needs to
   decide on mitigation strategies to deal with each risk.
9. Additional Measures. Only fill this out when a mitigation strategy has been determined to control each risk. 
10. Contingency
    Plan. Create a contingency plan for high impact risks with a high
    probability of occurring. This is a back-up plan if mitigation
    strategies fail. Mitigation strategies include:
    1. Deflection. Deflection is when a risk is transferred to a third party to manage.
    2. Control. To control a risk, devise a plan to prevent or minimise the risk.
    3. Avoidance.
       Use avoidance when there is little or no threat if the risk occurs.
       This is a strategy that ignores the risk and accepts the consequences if
       the risk is realised.

Using
a free construction risk assessment template helps to identify and
record risks. It helps your team to plan strategies to deal with risks
in advance should the need arise.

Do you want free access to create risk assessment templates
for construction projects to save you time and money? We’ve created one
at Raptor PM and it's free and secure. You can save, review and edit
your completed risk assessment(s) at any time. Try out the Raptor PM free risk assessment template now.

Table 1 Free Construction Risk Assessment Template

Table 2 Probability an Impact Matrix

How to Avoid Construction Risks

How to Avoid Construction Risks 

The complexity of construction projects means there are construction risks
to everyone onsite. Under legislation, employers are duty bound to
ensure the work site is safe for everyone. Legislation, codes and
regulations provide a framework for employers to follow to avoid
construction risks on the work site.

Regardless of how carefully you manage construction risks you cannot completely
avoid them. There will always be unknown factors that impact the
construction process at any time in the project. It is important to
identify the different types of risks and categorize them before the
project starts. This will minimize any losses and help keep everyone
safe.Construction risks fall broadly into the following five categories.

 Design risks

Design risks are anything that can stop you from completing a building on schedule. These can include:

• incomplete designs
• incomplete surveys
• designs that do not meet standards
• an incomplete analysis of the work site for hazardous waste
• inaccurate assumptions made about technical issues during planning.

Design construction risks can occur when there are changes in the project
scope or requirements, or when there are errors or omissions in the
design.

 

Environmental risks

Often people forget to factor in the environmental risks when working in
unfamiliar geographical areas. It is essential to become familiar with
the area’s weather patterns when working in different regions. By
preparing for potential environmental risks you can better manage
construction risks. It helps avoid possible losses and delays in the
project. Environmental risks can include:

• local weather (snow, severe storms)
• natural disasters
• flood plains and flood ways
• causing unanticipated barriers to wildlife
• noise impacts.

Human resource risks

The
most common project management risk is the uncertain productivity
levels of your workers. Before starting a new project, define the roles
and responsibilities of the staff you need to ensure you have the right
skills to complete the project. A lack of skilled workers can cause
major losses and delays on any project. Human resource risks to consider
include:

• losing crucial workers at critical points in a project
• contractors walking off the job
• it takes longer to hire the right resources than expected
• conflicts between workers on the work site, which can lead to mistakes and poor communication
• being unable to source the people with the critical skills required
• inexperienced workers
• contractors who do not meet delivery timelines.

Project management risks

A project manager faces many variable risks on a construction site. By
carrying out risk identification you can avoid or minimize these right
from the start. Project management construction risks can include:

• having little authority to influence resourcing and decision-making
• the same resources required in different places at the same time
• timelines driven by external factors rather than listening to estimations from the project team
• changing priorities on the construction site
• poorly defined milestones that do not accurately measure the successful completion of each phase.

 

Stakeholder risks

Stakeholders can slow down the construction process so it is important to identify
the construction risks so you can avoid or manage them. These risks can
include:

• taking too long to review or make decisions
• changes in the requirements
• poor communication
• insufficient funds
• unrealistic expectations
• making decisions that impact the schedule timeline.

Manage construction risks

Managing construction risks involves identifying, assessing and prioritising
risks. By analysing, monitoring and controlling these you can minimise
or remove them completely.

Identifying risks on a construction project is critical to its success. The earlier
you identify construction risks, the sooner you can plan to mitigate
the effects. Useconstruction management software to help manage construction risks.

Identifying
risks is an iterative process and it is best to involve everyone right
from the start. Comprehensive risk identification helps keep everyone
safe on construction sites and assists in producing good results.

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