Welcome
Workshop Risk Assessment
Gordon Hayburn
Technical Director, Agri-Food Safety
QMI-SAI Global
Risk Analysis
(Quantitative) Risk Assessment
How big is the risk, what factors control the
risk?
Scientific process
Risk Communication
How can we talk about the risk with affected
individuals?
Social and psychological process
Risk Management
What can we do about the risk?
Political process
Stages in Risk Analysis
Purpose of Risk Assessment
Why do we have to do Risk Assessments?
Requirement of most 3rd party certification
schemes
Key tool
Can/should be very detailed
Using knowledge to focus activities
The Challenges
Knowledge Gaps
Scientific Advances
Knowledge Gaps
Knowledge
Gaps Know Dont Know
Know Know Dont Know
Know Know
Dont Know Know Dont Know
Dont Know Dont Know
Scientific Advances
Methods of Detection
Speed of Detection
Limits of Detection
Regulations are not keeping up with Science!
Exercise 1
What is a Hazard?
Produce a short definition of Hazard
(2 minutes)
What is a Hazard?
A microbiological, chemical or physical
property which may cause a food to be
unsafe for consumption
10
Describing Hazards
Be Specific
Do not group hazards together under headings such as:
Pathogens
Foreign Bodies
Without a proper identification of the hazard it will be difficult to
determine if the Critical Limits are appropriate
11
Clostridium
Water pH Temperature Species
Activity
0.97 4.7 3.0 C C botulinum
(non-proteolytic)
0.94 4.6 10 C C botulinum
(proteolytic)
0.93 4.5 12 C C perfringens
Not 5.3 Considered to be C estertheticum
reported <0 C (spoilage)
Microbiological Hazards
Type of pathogen
Specific organism
Resistant forms, e.g. spores, cysts
Toxin formers
Vegetable organisms
Hazard manifestation
Presence
Contamination
Survival
Growth
13
Pathogenic Bacteria - Considerations
Wide range of organisms:
Heat resistance
Grow at chill temperatures
Formation of toxins in foods
Dose Response Level (Infective dose)
Oxygen requirement
Differing reactions to the products intrinsic control factors;
e.g. pH, Aw
14
Exercise 2: Pathogenic Bacteria
For the organism you have been given,
allocate a risk level.
Prepare a list of factors that influence this decision.
15
Undertaking a Risk Assessment
What is the Risk?
Risk is a combination of:
The likelihood of the hazard occurring
and
The severity of the illness or injury
HACCP requires control of any hazard that may be
reasonably expected to occur
17
Step in Risk Assessment
Hazard Identification
What microbe, food(s) and people are involved?
Exposure Analysis (Assessment)
What is the chance of exposure?
How many cells?
Dose-Response Analysis (Hazard Characterisation)
What is the human health effect of the exposure?
Risk Characterisation
Complete picture of the assessed risk
Risk Assessment
Detailed product / process knowledge
Historical evidence
Use information sources
Research and evaluate the information
A company cannot use risk assessment as a
means of not complying with requirements
19
Undertake a Risk Assessment
This is done by considering the Likely Occurrence of
the Hazard and the Severity of the injury/illness that
it may cause
The company must document a decision on which
level of concern is significant
Only those activities which fall into or above this
level are further considered as potential CCPs
20
Exercise 3
Give your own definition of the terms listed
on the paper you have been given
21
Risk Assessment Matrix
LIKELIHOOD (Probability)
Frequent Likely Occasional Seldom Unlikely
Extremely
High
SEVERITY
Critical High
Moderate Medium
Negligible
Low
Risk levels
Risk Quantification
To assist the HACCP team in making
appropriate decisions, the terms used for
both the severity and likelihood columns
in the risk assessment matrix must be
quantified
23
Quantitative Risk Assessment
Most effective technique
based on fact not opinion
Availability and accuracy of data are
limiting and potentially deceiving factors
Risk Quantification
To assist the HACCP team in making
appropriate decisions, the terms used for both
the severity and likelihood columns in the
risk assessment matrix must be quantified
(as can be reasonably established)
25
Severity
Number of people affected
Length of illness
Time off work
Potency of illness
Lasting effects
Other factors as appropriate
26
Severity
Different groups of the population will be affected in
different ways
e.g. E coli O157 is much more dangerous to very
young and very old people
It is for this reason that the intended use of the product
must be identified, otherwise it is difficult to correctly
assign an accurate overall level of concern
27
Likelihood
This should ideally be a numerical value:
Specific number
Percentage
Ratio
The nature of the food business will influence this:
High production volumes
Variability of process
28
Summary
Integral part of the Food Safety Management System
Needs to be done by competent staff
Needs to be reviewed at appropriate intervals
Needs to be regarded as a dynamic part of the system
Thank you
THANK YOU
