Why the Risk Matrix Is Your Best Ally

You have identified 150 risks across your organization. Where do you start? How do you justify your priorities to management? How do you demonstrate to the auditor that your decisions are based on facts?

The risk matrix is the tool that answers all of these questions. It transforms a list of hazards into a visual, prioritized map that guides your decisions.

Components of a Risk Matrix

The Basic Principle

A risk is characterized by two fundamental dimensions:

Severity (or impact): The potential consequence if the risk materializes
Likelihood (or probability): The chance that the risk will occur

Crossing these two dimensions in a matrix produces a criticality level that allows you to rank risks.

Choosing Your Scale

3x3 Matrix (simple) Suitable for small organizations or as a first approach:

3 severity levels: Low, Medium, High
3 likelihood levels: Rare, Occasional, Frequent

4x4 Matrix (standard) The best compromise for most organizations:

4 severity levels and 4 likelihood levels
16 possible combinations, grouped into 4 risk zones

5x5 Matrix (detailed) For mature organizations with many risks to differentiate:

25 combinations, greater granularity
Risk of excessive complexity if poorly used

Our recommendation: Start with a 4x4 matrix. It is the most widely used standard and offers a good balance between precision and simplicity.

Building Your Scoring Grid

Defining Severity Levels

Each level must be described objectively and measurably:

Level	Label	OHS	Environment	Quality
1	Minor	First aid	Negligible impact, immediately reversible	Internal rework
2	Significant	Lost time < 30 days	Limited impact, reversible	Customer complaint
3	Serious	Lost time > 30 days, permanent partial disability	Significant impact, remediation required	Product recall
4	Critical	Fatality, permanent disability > 30%	Major impact, irreversible	Loss of major customer

Important note: Adapt the descriptions to your context. What is “serious” in a bank is not the same as in a chemical plant.

Defining Likelihood Levels

Level	Label	Description	Indicative Frequency
1	Very unlikely	Has never occurred, hard to imagine	< once per 10 years
2	Unlikely	Has occurred in the industry	Once per 5-10 years
3	Likely	Has occurred at our organization	Once per 1-5 years
4	Very likely	Occurs regularly	> once per year

The Criticality Matrix

	Minor (1)	Significant (2)	Serious (3)	Critical (4)
Very likely (4)	4	8	12	16
Likely (3)	3	6	9	12
Unlikely (2)	2	4	6	8
Very unlikely (1)	1	2	3	4

Decision Zones

Green zone (1-3): Acceptable risk. Periodic monitoring.
Yellow zone (4-6): Tolerable risk under control. Actions to be planned.
Orange zone (8-12): High risk. Priority actions in the short term.
Red zone (16): Unacceptable risk. Immediate action required.

The Third Axis: Level of Control

Some organizations add a third criterion: the existing level of control. This makes it possible to distinguish a high risk that is well controlled from a moderate risk with no prevention measures at all.

Level	Description
1	Very good control: procedures, training, equipment, regular checks
2	Good control: most measures in place
3	Partial control: some measures, but gaps remain
4	No control: no prevention measures in place

Residual risk = Severity x Likelihood x Level of Control

It is the residual risk that guides your action priorities.

Step-by-Step Assessment Methodology

1. Prepare the Assessment Session

Assemble a multidisciplinary group (operators, managers, HSE professionals)
Gather available data (accidents, incidents, audits)
Prepare the list of identified risks
Train participants on the scoring method

2. Assess the Inherent Risk

The inherent risk is the risk level without taking existing control measures into account. It represents the worst-case scenario:

What would the severity be if the risk materialized without any protection?
What would the likelihood be without any prevention measures?

3. Identify Existing Control Measures

For each risk, list what is already in place:

Engineering controls (collective protections, extraction, ventilation)
Administrative controls (procedures, training, instructions)
Personal Protective Equipment
Monitoring (inspections, audits, checks)

4. Assess the Residual Risk

Re-evaluate the risk taking existing measures into account:

Does the potential severity remain the same? (Often yes)
Has the likelihood decreased thanks to the measures?
Is the level of control satisfactory?

5. Decide on Actions

Based on the residual risk:

Acceptable risk: Maintain existing measures, monitor
Risk to be reduced: Plan additional actions
Unacceptable risk: Immediate actions, or even halt the activity

Pitfalls to Avoid

1. The Soft Consensus

During scoring sessions, there is a tendency to average out opinions. If a field expert says “it’s serious” and a manager says “it’s minor,” the solution is not to score “significant.” Seek to understand why perceptions differ.

2. Scoring by Gut Feeling

Every score must be justified by facts:

History of accidents and incidents
Industry data (workplace accident/occupational disease statistics)
Workstation study results
Operator feedback

3. The “Wall of Green” Effect

If 90% of your risks are in the green zone, your scoring is probably overly optimistic. Review your criteria or your honesty in the assessment.

4. Forgetting to Reassess

The risk matrix is not static. It must be updated:

After every accident or incident
When organizational or technical changes occur
At least once per year

5. Confusing Hazard and Risk

Hazard: An intrinsic property of an agent or equipment (e.g., a chemical product is toxic)
Risk: The probability that a hazard will cause harm under given exposure conditions

A highly toxic chemical product (high hazard) stored in a locked cabinet and never handled represents a low risk.

The Risk Matrix in an Integrated Management System

The advantage of the risk matrix is that it applies across all QHSE domains:

Quality: Product nonconformity risks, process risks
Hygiene: Health risks, food safety risks
Safety: Occupational risks, fire risks
Environment: Pollution risks, biodiversity risks

A single matrix with criteria adapted by domain provides a consolidated view of all your risks.

Conclusion

The risk matrix is a powerful tool, provided it is used with rigor and honesty. It does not replace field expertise – it structures it and makes it communicable.

The keys to success: objective criteria, participative assessment, factual data, and above all, decisions that follow through. A matrix that leads to no action is merely an academic exercise.

Betterfly integrates an interactive risk matrix into its platform, with collaborative scoring, action tracking, and automatic generation of the occupational risk assessment document (DUERP). Request a demo to see how to turn your risk assessment into concrete actions.