or mission degradation. Environmental hazards include all activities that may pollute, create negative
noise-related effects, degrade archaeological/cultural resources, or negatively affect, threaten, or endanger
Step 2. Assess Environmental Hazards to Determine the Risk. Risk assessment is a three-stage
process used to determine the risk of potential harm to the environment. The three stages is to assess the
probability of each hazard, assess the severity of each hazard, and determine the risk level of each hazard.
Assessments include two factors--probability and severity. Probability is how often
an environmental hazard is likely to occur. Severity is the effect a hazard will have
expressed in terms of the degree of injury or illness, loss of or damage to equipment
or property, environmental damage, and other mission-impairing factors, such as loss
of combat power.
Probability and severity are estimates that require individual judgment and a working
knowledge of the risk management process and its terminology. Leaders must assess
the probability and the potential severity of environmental damage. Commanders use
common sense, past evaluations, higher commander guidance, historical data, lessons
learned, and any other useful sources to determine the probability of an event
occurring. Severity, however, attempts to quantify the amount of potential damage
created by an event. While leaders must assess the probability of environmental
damage, they must also determine how much damage the event would cause,
regardless of the probability.
It is usually easier to determine probability than severity. Definitions for the degrees
of severity are not absolutes; they are more conditional and related to mission,
enemy, terrain, troops, time available, and civilian considerations (METT-TC).
Leaders must use their experience, judgment, lessons learned, and subject matter
experts to assist them in determining degrees of severity. The following examples of
severity for archaeological, historical, or cultural sites provide leaders a frame of
reference for what may be included when estimating degrees of severity.
Catastrophic. Irreparable damage to or total loss of an irreplaceable site.
Commanders can anticipate widespread public concern. Such damage will
require notification of higher HQ, the public affairs office, and outside agencies.
. Major physical damage
to a historical/cultural
will be difficult, long-term, and costly and will require assistance and notification
of higher HQ, the public affairs office, and outside agencies.
Marginal. Minor physical damage to historical/cultural structures, which can be
restored with outside assistance. Units must report damage to higher HQ.
Negligible. Surrounding site damage from individual and vehicular activities
will be easily repaired or restored by the unit. There is no physical damage to
structures; however, the unit must report damage to higher HQ.
Step 3. A leader determines the risk level of each hazard. Then, using the
defined degrees of probability and severity, and the risk assessment matrix, he determines
the overall environmental-related risk level. The risk categories are as follows and are
further illustrated in Figures 4-3 and 4-4, page 4-14: