Hazard guidelines

Hazard Guidelines for territorial authorities in the Auckland region

Effective utilisation of hazards and risk information isn't always easy. Consequently local government authorities in the Auckland region have joined together to develop a set of guidelines aimed at improving the way information about hazards is used to make decisions about assessing and treating risks. The Hazards Guideline Project aims to:

• achieve consistency both within and between councils in the Auckland Region in the way hazards information is collected, organised and used to influence decisions about managing risk
• ensure risk management issues are appropriately addressed in land use and strategic planning
• maximise the effective use of hazards information to manage risks from hazards, and promote greater public understanding of their hazardscape
• encourage councils to reduce barriers to sound risk management and in particular encourage effective risk communication practices
• minimise council liability through the effective capture and storage of hazards information.

As a means of achieving the above objectives the project has developed a set of three guidelines.

The guidelines are interrelated. Guideline 1, which organises the hazards information held by local authorities in a systematic way, provides the necessary input information for the risk identification, assessment and evaluation outlined in Guideline 2.

The evaluation of risks carried out in Guideline 2 provides a prioritised list of risks to be considered for the treatment options outlined in Guideline 3.

Hazard guideline 1

This first guideline Hazard Information Management identifies sources of hazards information and looks at how this information is collected, sorted recorded and stored within the Auckland setting. It is especially relevant to the development and maintenance of hazard registers.

Hazard guideline 2

The second guideline Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment provides guidance on establishing the context for risk analysis and risk evaluation for hazards. Establishing a context for risk analysis involves evaluating strategic and organisational issues that will impact on the risk management process and developing a management plan to guide the rest of the risk management process. Identifying risks involves identifying the hazards that have the potential to affect communities within the city or district of interest, describing the characteristics of these hazards and assessing the community's vulnerability to hazards. Risk analysis aims to assign levels of risk to hazards, based on their likelihood and potential consequences. Risk evaluation uses the information from the analysis step to rank risks from greatest to least and thus determine an order for treatment. Guideline No. 2 provides a framework, which enables territorial authorities to work through these processes.

Hazard guideline 3

The third guideline Risk Treatment and Monitoring for Hazards looks at selecting appropriate risk treatment options that will minimise the risk to the community from hazards. Guideline No. 3 provides guidance on treatment and monitoring of risks identified as requiring treatment. Risk treatment options that will help to mitigate or avoid risk (risk reduction) are idenitifed and a process for selecting the appropriate option(s) is provided. Guidance on monitoring the progress of risk treatment implementation is also included.

Document

The hazard guidelines are available for download in pdf format below. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader, visit the Adobe website for more information. Copies are also available by emailing publications@arc.govt.nz.