Identifying the cause of risk in an HSE risk assessment is absolutely essential, it is the foundation of any effective risk management process. Without understanding what gives rise to the hazard or event, you can’t meaningfully control it.
Let’s unpack why:
1. The Cause Defines the Control
Every effective control is built to address a specific cause.
If you don’t know why a risk exists, any control measure becomes guesswork.
Example:
Hazard: “Fire in battery room.”
If the cause is electrical short circuit → use electrical isolation, fuses, and inspections.
If the cause is thermal runaway → use temperature sensors, ventilation, and BMS interlocks.
If the cause is human error (improper charging) → apply training, procedures, supervision.
Without identifying the cause, you might apply the wrong control, which looks compliant on paper but doesn’t actually prevent the incident.
 
2. It Turns Hazards into Actionable Risks
A hazard is just a potential source of harm.
A risk exists only when you understand how that hazard could cause harm.
The cause bridges the two — transforming theory into something you can manage.
Hazard → Cause → Event → Consequence → Control.
This chain is central to analytical tools like Bow-Tie, FMEA, and Root Cause Analysis (RCA), all of which emphasize cause identification.
 
3. It Drives Preventive Thinking
Identifying causes shifts focus from reactive to preventive control.
It helps you move up the hierarchy of controls, eliminating or substituting the source rather than relying on PPE or procedures.
Without cause: “Provide fire extinguisher.”
With cause identified: “Eliminate flammable storage near ignition sources.”
Understanding the why enables elimination at the source, the most powerful form of risk reduction.
 
4. It Strengthens Accountability
When you identify causes, you also clarify responsibility, who influences that cause.
This supports RACI alignment and ensures the right departments act on the right controls.
Example:
If the cause of a lifting accident is poor load inspection, responsibility lies with the lifting supervisor, not the HSE department alone.
 
5. It Enables Trend and Systemic Analysis
Knowing the cause helps identify patterns across operations.
If multiple risks share similar root causes (e.g., “poor communication” or “equipment design flaw”), you can target those systemic weaknesses directly, leading to continuous improvement rather than isolated fixes.
 
6. Compliance and Legal Defensibility
Most international standards like ISO 45001, ISO 31000, NFPA 70E, and national OHS laws, require demonstration that hazards were analyzed in terms of their causes and potential outcomes.
If an incident occurs and you can’t show that the causal chain was understood, the risk assessment is deemed incomplete and legally indefensible.
 
Bottom line:
An HSE risk assessment without clearly defined causes is like a medical diagnosis without identifying the disease, you can treat symptoms but never cure the problem.