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Residual risk

Residual risk is the risk that remains after you have taken measures. You judge whether it is still acceptable or whether extra measures are needed.

Explanation

No measure removes a risk completely. What remains after the measures is the residual risk. You assess it with the same method as the original risk, for example a risk matrix or Kinney, and check whether the score has dropped to a level the organisation finds acceptable.

If you find the residual risk too high, you take extra measures. If it stays acceptable, you record who decided that and why. That shows in a risk assessment or TRA that you made a conscious choice. Residual risk is also a starting point for emergency response: what can still go wrong and what do we do then?

The difference with the original risk is therefore the moment of measuring: before or after the measures. Note that a measure that exists on paper but does not work yet only lowers the risk once it has been implemented and tested. So assess the residual risk after implementation, not after planning.

Example from practice

A cordoned-off work area with a daily check lowers the risk of being hit by traffic during roadworks, but never to zero. You record the residual risk, for example a driver who still drives through, and discuss it with the team.

© 2026 BrydgeOne. General information, not legal or other professional advice. No rights can be derived from this explanation.

In BrydgeOne

Where you work with Residual risk

Risk assessment & action planAssess risks and set out an action plan. TRATask risk analysis per task step, with control measures and approval. Risks & opportunitiesAssess risks and opportunities per process.
Knowledge base

Keep reading

How to prepare a risk assessment (RI&E): a step-by-step guideThe RI&E, the Dutch risk inventory and evaluation, is the foundation of your occupational health and safety policy. You map out the risks in your organization and what you do about them. This step-by-step guide helps you build an RI&E that is accurate, usable and kept up to date. TRA task risk analysis: steps, example and who approves itA TRA, or task risk analysis, is an analysis of one specific task that you prepare before the work starts. You split the task into steps, look for the hazards per step and choose control measures. Here you read how that works, with a worked example and an answer to the question of who approves a TRA.
Glossary

See also

RI&ERisk Inventory and EvaluationTRATask Risk AnalysisHierarchy of controlsHierarchy of controls (STOP)Risk matrixRisk matrixBHVCompany emergency response

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