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Quick summary
  • When your product or its use changes, update the hazards it affects, then approve a new version.
  • Editing or deleting a linked cause or control changes it everywhere, so check ⋯ → References first.
  • Archive a hazard, cause or control instead of deleting it: it stays available for audit.

Archive instead of deleting

An archived hazard, cause or control:
  • gets an (ARCHIVED) prefix on its ID;
  • stays available for audit;
  • drops out of the default view until you set the funnel’s Archived filter to Yes.
Versions you approve from then on leave out an archived hazard. To archive a cause, click ⋯ → Archive on its row in the Causes tab, change the defaults if you want a different outcome, then click Archive cause to confirm. To archive a control, click ⋯ → Archive on its row in the Controls tab. Unlink from all mapped causes is ticked when the dialog opens: untick it to keep the links, then click Archive control to confirm.
The Archive control dialog for CTRL-047 with Unlink from all mapped causes ticked, and the Delete, Cancel and Archive control buttons

Archive control for CTRL-047, which is linked to one cause. Unlink from all mapped causes is ticked when the dialog opens.

When something changes

When a customer reports a problem, a release changes how the product behaves or an incident shows a control didn’t hold, work through the hazards it touches:
1

Find the affected hazards

Filter the log by product, or open a cause or control and check ⋯ → References.
2

Update the hazards

Update the causes, controls and evidence, and re-score residual risk if the controls changed. Then set each hazard’s status to match where it now stands.
3

Approve a new version

Approve a new version with Republish options ticked, so the published copies move to it.

Editing a linked cause or control

The change appears immediately in every hazard using it, including hazards on other products. Evidence works the same way: replacing a file updates it everywhere the control is used, including in any version you’re preparing to approve.

Deleting a linked cause or control

Deleting a linked cause or control deletes it everywhere. Deleting a control also deletes its attached evidence. To stop using it on just one hazard, remove it from that hazard instead. To take it out of use but keep it for audit, archive it.
Before you delete, check ⋯ → References, which lists by ID every hazard using a cause, or every cause and hazard using a control. The delete confirmation shows the same list.
The delete confirmation for a shared control, listing where it is used

Deleting a shared control warns you what else it is attached to. Cancel is the safe way out.

Hazard log overview

How the hazard log fits together, and how to read its table.

Causes, controls and evidence

The linking model behind what propagates where.