What is the first step in the Five-step Risk Management Process?

The first step in the Five-step Risk Management Process is identifying hazards. This crucial initial step involves recognizing and listing potential sources of risk or danger that may affect the mission, personnel, equipment, or environment. By clearly identifying hazards, aircrew members set the stage for a thorough analysis of risks associated with those hazards.

Once hazards are identified, the subsequent steps in the process—assessing the risks associated with those hazards, developing controls and making decisions, implementing those controls, and continuously supervising the effectiveness of the controls—can be executed effectively. Identifying hazards is the foundation of effective risk management, as it provides the necessary information to evaluate and mitigate risks appropriately.

Without recognizing the specific hazards, the rest of the process would lack direction and purpose, potentially leading to unaddressed risks and unsafe situations.