1. Risk Tolerance Factor # 4 Voluntary Actions and Being in Control
Strategies for Understanding and Addressing
Risk Tolerance
Factor # 4 Voluntary Actions and Being in Control
The risk of an activity or task is viewed as less risky when we engage in it voluntarily or when we feel we have complete control of the activity.

2. Voluntary Actions and Being in Control
10 Factors That Influence Risk Tolerance
Overestimating Capability/Experience
Familiarity with the Task
Seriousness of Outcome
Voluntary Actions and Being in Control
Personal Experience with an Outcome
Cost of Non-Compliance
Confidence in the Equipment
Confidence in Protection and Rescue
Potential Profit & Gain from Actions
Role Models Accepting Risk
Control over an activity or engaging in an activity voluntarily results in the risk being perceived as lower.
As we go through this risk tolerance factor we will use some off the job and recreational examples as this is where we most often have the choice on what we do and how we do it. As we go through these we need to constantly relate back to our work place and consider the work place tasks where we feel we have full control. These will be the ones where we could be in jeopardy of accepting or tolerating too much risk.
To reinforce the message on voluntary activities, relay the fact that Imperial Oil/ExxonMobil employees are 28 times more likely to be hurt off the job, engaging in voluntary activities than they are on the job.

3. Voluntary Actions and Being in Control
The decision to voluntarily participate in a task or activity will be based on our perception of the risk associated with the task.
The desire to engage in the activity may be great enough to discount the known risks.
Being in control of the task or activity reduces our reliance on other unknowns and therefore the risk is perceived as being lower.
There are three components to this risk tolerance factor.
First, we will have already done a conscious or even subconscious assessment of the risk of the activity or task and will have come to our own conclusion (whether right or wrong) that the risk is at an acceptable level before making our decision to progress. Once we have established our perception of the risk, we will subconsciously justify our decision with any additional information that is provided. The justification may come from one of the other risk tolerance factors ... most commonly #1 Over estimating capability or experience, #3 Seriousness of the Outcome and #8 Confidence in Protection and Rescue.
Second, when there is something we really want to do (for the personal gain, for the adrenalin rush, for the experience) we will discount the risks associated with the activity to justify our participation.
Third, when we feel we have 100% control of a task, we under estimate the risk. This is usually combined with risk tolerance factor #1 Over estimating capability and experience. For example, many people will make a decision to drive to a location rather than take a plane because they feel they have full control over the driving where as they are dependent on others when flying.

4. Voluntary Actions and Being in Control
Strategies for reducing the tolerance of risk when engaged in voluntary activities and being in control:
Use the Stop & Think process for voluntary activities:
the simple questions on the card will help in making an unbiased assessment of the risk
the act of actually stopping the task and taking a minute to examine the card will engage the conscious mind in the decisions to continue
Use the Stop and Think process to engage a group in the assessment of the risk:
engages a broader knowledge base on the activity
provides a check and test of our assumptions on the level of risk
The level of risk we accept during voluntary activities can be reduced by:
Using the Last Minute Risk Assessment (Stop and Think) process for voluntary and recreational activities will help to assess the actual level of risk associated with the activity. The Stop and Think process, especially when you actually stop the activity and pull out the card, is a way of engaging the conscious mind in the decisions on risk. There are times that our perception of the risk is rooted in our subconscious and the Stop and Think process allows a conscious and critical assessment of our assumptions.
The Stop and Think process (LMRA, FLRA, SPSA) is a good way of engaging a broader group in the assessment of risk. The group becomes the sounding board and test of the assumptions about the risk. Someone in the group may have some back ground, history, knowledge that could identify where the group does not have full control of the work.

5. Exercise and Discussion on “Voluntary Actions and Being in Control”
Is there a recreational activity that you engage in where you believe the risk to be lower but someone else in this group may view it differently?
In each of the pictures shown below, assess the degree of control each of the workers would have over the task. 1 2 3
The intent of this slide is to generate a group discussion on very specific issues in this work place or in the individuals personal activities where this Risk Tolerance Factor may be an issue. Action items to address these should be documented with responsibilities and timing defined. Add in scenarios that this particular work group may be able to identify with.
Prompts for discussion on each of the slides.
Generate a discussion on each of the activities that workers identify on question #1 or use the pictures to prompt discussion on how the individuals in each of the photos would view the risk of that activity and why.
For part 2 of the exercise, generate a discussion on each of the pictured scenarios.
Which worker would view the risk as being lower ... the one who has the control of the hammer or the one holding the wrench?
Who has control over the hammer and the holding? Same person. How will they view the level of risk?
Could a lock out be a way of actually being in control? Is it perceived control or actual control?
What are we going to do about these?

6. Use Stop and Think ...
on the job, for voluntary activities and for your personal recreational activities!
The Stop and Think process is the key tool for addressing this risk tolerance factor. Encourage workers to bring the Stop and Think card home and use it in their recreational activities. Keep one in the vehicle. Keep one in your back pack. Teach your family how to use it to reduce risk.