Risk Assessment Process

1. Describe the risk assessment process and how it is an integral part of the All Hazards Approach
The risk assessment process is the progression of steps that organizations go through to identify hazards, evaluates the risks associated with that hazard and come up with ways to eliminate or mitigate the hazard. The main aim of the risk assessment process is to create a safer working environment by removing a hazard or reducing the level of its risk at the workplace by coming up with precautionary and control measures as deemed necessary. The risk assessment process comprises of three fundamental steps. The first step of the risk assessment process is information gathering. Information gathering is important for evaluating the current conditions in an organization in an endeavor to identify the risks. The information-gathering step involved identifying the products used and
manufactured in an organization, the operations and the processes in the organization. During the information gathering step, there is also a thorough review of history of losses, past operations and modifications done. Besides, information gathering also involves the review of the policies and procedures in the organization (Haddow, 2014).
The second step in the risk assessment process is the evaluation of the information gathered in the first step. This step is crucial as it allows the risk managers to synthesize the information gathered and deduce the severity and the probability of the risks identified occurring. It also helps to determine how prepared the organization is, should the risk actually happen. The last step in the risk assessment process is the evaluation of the risk. This step involves reviewing each risk identified in terms of the likelihood of it happening, the impact to the organization if the risk happens and the ability to detect the risk. The risk assessment process is an integral part of the All Hazards Approach as it helps to identify all the risks that an organization faces in a single process. The All Hazards Approach is designed to provide a singular framework for the management of biological, chemical, physical and radiological hazards. By providing a way of identifying all risks in one process, the risk assessment process helps All Hazards Approach to achieve its objective (Haddow, 2014).
2. Define business continuity and why it is important within the private, public and non-profit segments of the community
Business continuity refers to the ability to continue with business operations in the wake of a disaster. A business continuity plan outlines the measures that an organization has put in place to ensure that its operations continue, even after the disaster. The business continuity plan addresses issues like the chain of command in the event of a disaster, the backup strategies. The business continuity planning is an essential part of the private, public and non-profit segments of the community. First, business continuity planning helps to build business resilience. Resilience means that these segments of the community emerge after the disaster and continue providing products to their markets. The second importance of the business continuity planning is that it provides security for the segments of the community. Business continuity plan acts as a safety net and provides assurance to the stakeholders that these segments of the community will continue playing their role during and after the disaster. The last importance of the business continuity plan is that it provides stability to the organization. By establishing a framework of the chain of command and roles within the organization during and after a disaster, the business continuity plan ensures that all the functions of the organization remain intact during the time of the disaster (McEntire, 2007).
3. Explain the Incident Command System and how it may be implemented in a natural disaster in which an international response may be a part of the emergency response
The Incident Command System is a standardized tool used in the control, command and coordination of emergency response in major disasters.
The Incident Command System is mostly used for temporary disaster management procedures involving multiple agencies all responding to a major incident like a wildfire, or a terrorist attack. In an international emergency response to a disaster, several countries offer their support that comes in form of personnel, facilities and financial aid. In scenario of an emergency response to a disaster, the Incident Command System can be established to coordinate the efforts of multiple international agencies involved in the emergency response. This is because, the Incident Command System establishes a temporary but clear and effective hierarchy structures for the management of funds, facilities, equipment, personnel and communications. The main role of the Incident Command System in this case is to establish a central point of coordinating all emergency response and to avoid the complexity of separate jurisdictions, chain of command and logistics (Coppola,
2007).

References
Coppola, D. P. (2007). Introduction to international disaster management. Amsterdam: Butterworth Heinemann.
Haddow, G. D., Bullock, J. A., & Coppola, D. P. (2014). Introduction to emergency management. Butterworth-Heinemann
McEntire, D. A. (2007). Disciplines, disasters and emergency management: The convergence and divergence of concepts, issues and trends from the research literature. Springfield