Risks affecting organizations can have consequences in terms of economic performance
and professional reputation, as well as environmental, safety and societal outcomes. Therefore, managing
risk effectively helps organizations to perform well in an environment full of uncertainty.
ISO
31000:2009
ISO 31000:2009, Risk management – Principles and
guidelines,
provides principles, framework and a process for managing risk. It can be used by any organization regardless
of its size, activity or sector. Using ISO 31000 can help organizations increase the likelihood of achieving
objectives, improve the identification of opportunities and threats and effectively allocate and use
resources for risk treatment.
However, ISO 31000 cannot be used for certification purposes,
but does provide guidance for internal or external audit programmes. Organizations using it can compare
their risk management practices with an internationally recognised benchmark, providing sound principles
for effective management and corporate governance.
Related
Standards
A number of other standards also relate to risk management.
- ISO Guide 73:2009, Risk management - Vocabulary
complements ISO 31000
by providing a collection of terms and definitions relating to the management of risk.
- ISO/IEC
31010:2009, Risk management – Risk assessment techniques focuses on risk assessment.
Risk assessment
helps decision makers understand the risks that could affect the achievement of objectives as well as
the adequacy of the controls already in place. ISO/IEC 31010:2009 focuses on risk assessment concepts,
processes and the selection of risk assessment techniques.