Completing an Initial Assessment versus closing an incident in riskNET

What’s the difference between completing an Initial Assessment and closing an incident?

The Initial Assessment and the closing of an incident are two different stages in the incident management process.

• An Initial Assessment is conducted when an incident is first reported and involves gathering information to determine the scope, severity, and potential impact of the incident. This may involve analysing the nature of the incident, the systems, equipment or facilities affected and the potential risks and consequences. 
• Closing an incident, on the other hand, occurs once the incident has been fully investigated and resolved. This involves verifying that all identified issues and risks have been addressed and that the affected systems or assets are functioning properly.

When completing the Initial Assessment, you will be asked a series of questions to assess the seriousness of the incident and how likely it is to happen again. The Initial Assessment will provide a risk rating and recommend whether a Local Investigation should be carried out by the department.

At UCL, the Initial Assessment must be completed within 5 working days.

Only once corrective actions have been implemented, should an incident be closed

Whilst the Initial Assessment must be completed within 5 working days, the incident should only be closed once the identified issues and risks have been addressed and the affected systems, equipment or facilities are functioning properly. 

If riskNET's in-built risk matrix does not recommend further investigation and the corrective actions can be implemented quickly, you may be able to close the incident at the same time as completing the Initial Assessment. 

Who can complete an Initial Assessment and close an incident

The following people can complete an Initial Assessment and/or close an incident:

• Departmental Safety Officers and their deputies
• Departmental Incident Co-ordinators
• People who have been "allocated" to investigate an incident

How to close an incident

Select the "options" button and then "Close" from the drop-down menu.

Where can I get further information?

> Read more about investigating an Accident or Incident
> riskNET video on completing an Initial Assessment

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