REBOK vs RES - What's the Difference?

[Susan Jaques]

By Matt Humphrey

When you're looking for risk related information, you may find both REBOK and RES coming up in your search results.  Both seem to perform the same function of providing information and hosting webinars. So why do they both exist, and what purpose do they serve?

Risk Engineering Society (RES)

The Risk Engineering Society (RES) is a recognised technical society of Engineers Australia, aiming to advance the practice of risk engineering. What began as a special interest group in Victoria in the late 1970s has since emerged to become an internationally recognised source of risk knowledge and risk engineering professionals.

The structure of RES includes a national committee, as well as state-based committees.  The RES committees are made up of enthusiastic risk engineering professionals, who volunteer their time to further develop awareness of and support for risk engineers.

The tasks of the RES committees include collection and distribution of information to members, organisation of technical meetings, hosting conferences, and contributing to the effective management of risks in the workplace and in the community.

RES has traditionally used two primary platforms for communicating learnings to members of the risk engineering community: through LinkedIn, and hosting in-person state-based seminars.

During the pandemic of 2020, the state-based RES committees pivoted to hosting webinars online instead, in order to continue providing information to members.  RES committees are currently transitioning back to more in-person events with online viewing as an option for many events.  It is expected that hybrid events will be offered into the future.

Risk Engineering Body of Knowledge (REBOK)

Meanwhile, he Risk Engineering Body of Knowledge (REBOK) is a central repository of information and articles for risk engineering professionals.

It was launched in 2019 as an initiative by RES, to enhance risk management knowledge and processes in the workplace and the wider community. The online repository contains information in a broad range of mediums, including webinars, presentations, papers, and publications.

The overall purpose of REBOK is to provide a wiki (encyclopedia)-like resource to assist engineers and managers to practically apply risk management principles.

This information is generally sourced by the REBOK committee or is commissioned either by the RES National Executive or the RES State Chapters across Australia.

Current Status

Prior to the pandemic, RES and REBOK were acting in complementary roles: state-based in-person seminars by RES, and online lunchtime webinars by REBOK.

Post-pandemic, we have been “competing” in the same arena of online conferences and webinars, which brought about some confusion.

In order to avoid some of the overlap of efforts, the REBOK team has recently decided to pause hosting lunchtime webinars and leave that to the RES state-based committees. 

 

To summarise:

• RES is a technical society which aims to promote and advance the risk engineering community.
• REBOK is an initiative of RES and is primarily a repository of risk engineering information.
• Both aim to distribute information to their members, with RES focusing on its LinkedIn group and seminars/webinars, and REBOK focusing more on the online knowledge repository.

 

As REBOK is a continuously developing project, we invite you to join the REBOK Community and drive its value by contributing your own experience and expertise through posts and discussions.

We also invite you to connect with other risk engineering specialists and join the conversation in the Risk Engineering Society LinkedIn Group.