2 Training and support
7. To identify the awareness and understanding of
the BBC's risk management approach among BBC managers with risk
management responsibilities, the National Audit Office had carried
out a survey which showed that half the respondents considered
that they needed more training in risk management, and 37% had
concerns about the adequacy of the training they had received.
In the light of these findings, the BBC carried out a training
needs assessment and was now aiming to provide more guidance and
training in the identification and management of risks. Commenting
specifically on the BBC's production departments, where risk management
encompasses creative output and financial management, the BBC
confirmed that the financial training, experience and judgment
of producers and directors was an important part of the selection
process.[9]
8. The survey results also showed that nearly a third
of respondents were unclear about when to report risk information
up the management chain. The BBC had since provided face-to-face
briefings to all 300 managers with responsibilities for managing
and reporting risks to promote greater understanding on how to
grade risks and report them upwards. Managers were also being
provided with feedback on the Executive Board's discussions about
risks to help them understand the action taken in response to
risks reported up the management chain.[10]
9. While the BBC had identified the safety of staff
around the world as a key risk it faced, it was not reflected
explicitly in the BBC's top risk themes (Figure 2). Risk
could not be eliminated altogether, but the BBC had provided five-day
intensive courses, with regular refresher three-day courses, for
staff who potentially had to work in hazardous and hostile environments,
and carried out assessments before deploying people to dangerous
situations. We did not discuss in detail the circumstances relating
to the abduction in March 2007 of Alan Johnston, the BBC's Gaza
correspondent, as the situation had not been resolved, but the
BBC confirmed that it would seek to learn any lessons from its
experiences in Gaza. Mr Johnston was released subsequently on
4 July 2007.[11]
10. People working in television and radio are often
freelancers employed on short-term contracts. The BBC recognised
that it had a duty in relation to occupational risk management
for everyone who worked in the BBC, and that health and safety
training for production environments was particularly important.
The BBC said it maintained a record of training taken by freelancers
who had previously worked at the BBC and that no distinction was
made between the training of freelance and permanent employees.
Freelance production accountants, for example, were trained in
the BBC's financial management and controls framework before they
were given access to its systems. It was not clear, however, how
the BBC satisfied itself that all freelancers were trained adequately
in the management of risk.[12]
9 Qq 14-15, 97; C&AG's Report, para 35 Back
10
Qq 11-13, 23, 39 Back
11
Qq 27-29, 44 Back
12
Qq 51-52 Back
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