Operations Risk Register Guideline

Nomenclature

Term	Definition
WL Risk Matrix	The Westlink 5x5 risk-assessment matrix, which rates a risk by combining its likelihood with the consequence (severity) of its worst credible outcome.
Likelihood	How probable it is that a risk event occurs, expressed on the five-level scale Highly Unlikely to Highly Likely.
Consequence	The severity of the worst credible outcome of a risk event, expressed on the five-level scale Insignificant (1) to Severe (5).
Residual Risk	The risk rating that remains after the current controls have been applied.
Risk Register	A record of identified risks, their assessment and their controls. Live project and operational risk registers are maintained in project documentation and in the isCompliant platform; they are not controlled WMS documents and carry no WMS document code.
WMS	Westlink Management System.

Purpose

This guideline gives the operations and projects department a consistent method for identifying, assessing and recording operational risk. It establishes the Westlink (WL) risk matrix and risk-rating method and the contexts in which risk registers are developed. It also sets out the operational risk themes across the department’s activity groups. Applying it lets the department develop project and tender risk registers on a common basis. It also helps capture ongoing operational risks and their mitigation strategies.

Scope

This guideline applies to the operations and projects department. It is an overarching guideline that informs individual project and tender risk registers; it is not itself a live risk register. Live project and operational risk registers, and incident, hazard and corrective-action records, are maintained in project documentation and in the isCompliant platform — this guideline informs them but does not reproduce them.

Definitions

Terms and acronyms used in this document are defined in the Nomenclature table at the front of this document.

Risk Assessment Method

Each risk is rated with the WL risk matrix by combining its likelihood with the consequence (severity) of its worst credible outcome. A risk is rated both inherently and as a residual risk after current controls have been applied. The likelihood and consequence scales are set out below, followed by the risk matrix that combines them.

Likelihood

Likelihood is assessed on the following five-level scale, with the indicative frequency used as a guide.

Likelihood	Indicative frequency
Highly Likely	Likely to occur within a 1 year period.
Likely	Likely to occur within a 1 – 5 year period.
Probable	Likely to occur within a 5 – 20 year period.
Unlikely	Likely to occur within a 20 – 50 year period.
Highly Unlikely	Not likely to occur within a 50 year period.

Consequence

Consequence is assessed on the following five-level scale against the worst credible outcome, considering health and safety, environment, community and human rights, and company reputation, legal and commercial impacts.

Level	Descriptor
Severe (5)	6 or more fatalities or 6 or more life shortening illnesses; or severe impact to the environment where recovery of ecosystem function takes 10 years or more; or severe impact on community lasting more than 12 months or a substantiated human rights violation impacting 6 or more people; or severe impact on company reputation, investment attractiveness, legal rights or compliance, social value proposition or ability to access opportunities at a global level.
Major (4)	1-5 fatalities or 1-5 life shortening illnesses; or serious impact to the environment, where recovery of ecosystem function takes between 3 and up to 10 years; or serious impact on community lasting 6-12 months or a substantiated human rights violation impacting 1-5 persons; or serious impact on company reputation, investment attractiveness, legal rights or compliance, social value proposition or ability to access opportunities at a national level.
Moderate (3)	Life altering or long term/permanent disabling injury or illness to one or more persons; or substantial impact to the environment, where recovery of ecosystem function takes between 1 and up to 3 years; or substantial impact on community lasting 2-6 months; or substantial impact on company reputation, legal rights or compliance, social value proposition, or ability to access opportunities at a sub national level (state, territory, province).
Minor (2)	Non-life altering or short-term disabling injury or illness to one or more persons; or measurable but limited impact to the environment, where recovery of ecosystem function takes less than 1 year; or measurable but limited community impact lasting less than one month; or measurable but limited impact on company reputation, legal rights or compliance, or social value proposition at a local level (region, city, town).
Insignificant (1)	Low level impact resulting in first aid only; or minor, temporary impact to the environment, where the ecosystem recovers with little intervention; or minor, temporary community impact that recovers with little intervention; or minor, temporary impact on company reputation, legal rights or compliance, or social value proposition.

Risk Rating

The risk rating is read from the WL risk matrix at the intersection of the assessed likelihood and consequence. The same matrix is used to rate the inherent risk and, after controls, the residual risk.

Likelihood	Insignificant (1)	Minor (2)	Moderate (3)	Major (4)	Severe (5)
Highly Likely	Medium	High	Very High	Very High	Very High
Likely	Medium	High	High	Very High	Very High
Probable	Low	Medium	High	High	Very High
Unlikely	Low	Low	Medium	Medium	High
Highly Unlikely	Low	Low	Low	Low	Medium

Risk Register Types

Operational risk registers are developed through two workshop contexts. Each workshop uses the WL risk matrix above to rate the identified risks and draws on the operational risk themes and the reference in Appendix A as a prompt for hazard identification.

• Project Risk Workshop — conducted for an awarded project, producing the project risk register that governs execution.

• Tender Risk Workshop — conducted during tendering, assessing the risk of a prospective scope before commitment.

Operational Risk Themes

The department’s operational risk falls into five activity-group themes. The themes below summarise the character of the risk in each group; the full point-in-time reference of hazards, risk events and controls is reproduced in Appendix A as a prompt for risk-register development.

Port Operations

Vessel discharge and laydown operations at port: coordination with stevedores, port authority and subcontractors; lifting and crane operations (hooking on/off, rigging); manual handling; vehicle and equipment interaction with personnel in the loading zone; loadout sequencing; and port access and induction compliance.

General

Cross-cutting operational risks: schedule and travel management; correct use of Stop Work Authority; awareness of risks created by other parties on shared sites; and exposure to extreme weather, heat and environmental conditions.

Transport / Heavy Haulage

Road transport and heavy haulage of project cargo: route and road-condition management; vehicle, structure and object interaction; load structural integrity and load restraint; emergency braking and convoy travel; mechanical reliability; and Chain of Responsibility and fatigue-management compliance.

Site Operations

Project-site execution: mobilisation and site access; ground suitability for overmass cargo and crane set-up; simultaneous operations; truck and equipment interactions; suitability of offloading equipment; and coordination of operating times, laydown sequence, equipment and labour with the client.

Contractor Management

Engagement and oversight of subcontractors: prequalification; insurance adequacy; agreement of purchase-order terms and conditions; equipment and labour availability; equipment registration and compliance; and fatigue management of contracted personnel.

Roles and Responsibilities

The roles below carry the main accountabilities for applying this guideline. They reflect the duties already described in this document and in the Appendix A controls; project-specific delegations may assign them differently for a given scope.

Role	Responsibility	When
Project Manager	Convenes the Project Risk Workshop, owns the resulting project risk register, and approves residual risk ratings. Ensures contractor prequalification and insurance adequacy before work commences.	On project award and through delivery.
Operations Coordinator	Convenes the Tender Risk Workshop and supports the Project Manager with documentation, contractor queries, and confirming labour and equipment availability for operations.	During tendering and operational planning.
Supervisor / Line Manager	Applies the WL risk matrix to rate hazards in the field, resolves concerns raised under Stop Work Authority, and maintains and reviews the live register through delivery.	During operations on site.

Applying This Guideline

This guideline is an overarching reference; it does not replace a project- or tender-specific risk register. To apply it:

• Run the applicable risk workshop (Project or Tender).

• Identify the hazards and risk events for the scope, using the activity-group themes and Appendix A as a prompt.

• Rate each risk with the WL risk matrix (likelihood x consequence), both inherently and as a residual risk after controls.

• Record the assessed risks, controls and residual ratings in the project or tender risk register.

• Maintain and review that register through delivery.

Register separation: live project and operational risk registers — and incident, hazard and corrective-action records — are maintained in project documentation and in the isCompliant platform. This guideline informs those registers; it does not reproduce them and carries no live risk data.