Risk map

What is a risk map?

Risk assessments produce lengthy documents organized by position or task, which are difficult for someone working in a specific area to consult. The risk map addresses this problem geographically: it pinpoints the location of hazards on a site plan (machines with a risk of entrapment, ATEX zones, forklift traffic areas, chemical storage , high noise levels, work at heights) and indicates the measures applied at each point (collective protection, mandatory PPE, signage, work permits). The result is a visual representation that anyone can understand in just a few minutes.

The concept has its roots in the Italian workers’ model of the 1970s, which used risk maps drawn up by the workers themselves to identify hazards in factories, and in the participatory tools promoted by Law 31/1995 through consultation and worker safety representatives. In modern management, it builds upon and complements the technical risk assessment: the map shows the assessment’s findings, and employee participation in its development enriches the assessment with the knowledge of those who work in those positions.

It should not be confused with the corporate risk map used in business management (financial, legal, and reputational risks), nor with risk matrices that assess probability and severity. In prevention, the risk map is spatial or process-based, and its value lies in its location.

Content and types

• Center map. Plan of the establishment with colored areas or icons by type and level of risk, fire protection equipment, evacuation routes, meeting points, location of first aid kits, emergency showers and intervention teams.
• Process map. Flowchart with the risks associated with each phase (receiving, storage, production, shipping) and the planned controls, useful in industry and logistics.
• Map by agent. Zoning of exposure to noise, chemical agents, explosive atmospheres, radiation or heat, with measured levels and protection obligations by zone.
• Coordination map. Version intended for contractors and visitors showing the center’s risks, restricted areas, access rules and meeting points, to support the coordination of business activities.
• Dynamic map. Digital version linked to management software that updates the status of risks and measures, integrates geolocated incidents and sensor data, and allows information to be accessed from mobile devices.

Uses and benefits

• Information and training. Visual support in welcoming new employees, in safety talks , and in providing information to contractors and visitors.
• Participation. Development and review with worker safety representatives and with people from each area, who contribute undocumented risks.
• Planning. Prioritization of measures by areas with the highest concentration of risks or incidents.
• Emergencies. Basis for evacuation plans and for providing information to external services.
• Analysis. Overlaying accidents and incidents on the map to detect black spots and evaluate the effectiveness of the measures.

Organizational application: how to develop a risk map

1. Start with the current risk assessment and the updated plans of the center or the process diagram.
2. Define the legend: types of risk, levels, measures and symbols, consistent with the signage of Royal Decree 485/1997.
3. Touring the center with managers and worker safety representatives to identify risks, compare them with reality, and gather input.
4. Prepare the map in digital format and versions for each use: general, by zones, for contracts and for emergencies.
5. Publish it in the workplace and in the management system, and integrate it into onboarding and training.
6. Periodically overlay incidents and accidents to analyze critical points and prioritize measures.
7. Update it in response to changes in facilities, processes, or evaluation, with version control.

Preventive management software allows you to maintain the risk map linked to the assessment, planning and incidents, with automatic updating of statuses and access from mobile devices in the center itself.

Limits and common mistakes

1. Presenting the map as a substitute for risk assessment or developing it without a basis in it.
2. Static maps that are not updated after changes in facilities, processes, or measurements.
3. Confusing or inconsistent legends compared to the actual signage in the center.
4. Developing it without the participation of managers and worker safety representatives, thus losing field knowledge.
5. Overloading it with information until it becomes unreadable, instead of having versions for different uses.
6. Do not use it for reception, training or coordination with contractors, leaving it as a decorative document.

The risk map is a support tool; the documentary obligations of Law 31/1995 are fulfilled through assessment and planning.

Regulatory and reference framework

• Law 31/1995, articles 16, 18, 24 and 33. Risk assessment, information to workers , coordination of activities and consultation.
• Royal Decree 39/1997, articles 3 to 7. Risk assessment and documentation.
• Royal Decree 485/1997, of April 14. Minimum provisions regarding safety and health signage at work.
• Royal Decree 171/2004, of January 30. Coordination of business activities: information on the risks of the center to the companies present.
• Royal Decree 393/2007, of March 23. Basic Self-Protection Standard: plans and graphic documentation of the self-protection plan .

In Colombia and other countries in the region, the risk map is a common requirement of occupational safety and health management systems and technical guides for hazard identification.