Free handbook

The 9.5% Problem

Your control works 95% of the time. After an incident, it may count for 9.5%. This free 23-page handbook shows you how to prove yours, and how to close the gap.

  • Score any procedure in 10 minutes with the ten-question test
  • A one-page procedure template and a document register you can use today
  • What the law expects in the US, UK, EU, Canada, Australia and New Zealand
  • A 30-day plan from score to proof

Download the free handbook (PDF)

23 pages. Free to read and share. No sign-up needed.

Cover of the free handbook The 9.5% Problem

Questions about the handbook

Who is it for?

Anyone who signs off safety, security or compliance procedures: directors and officers, managers who write procedures, and compliance, privacy and security professionals, in any size of organisation.

What is the 9.5% problem?

A control that works 95% of the time, backed by documentation worth 10% of what it should be, earns about 9.5% credit when an investigator, insurer or court asks you to prove it. The handbook shows how to measure that gap and close it.

Is it legal advice?

No. It is a practical framework with sourced examples, correct as at October 2026. Take legal advice on the law that applies to you.

What is it based on?

The Prouse Residual Liability Model, published as an SSRN working paper in 2026, with a Version 2.1 specification and simulation study. Read the summary.

Find out where you stand

Twenty minutes, no cost. Tell me what you are responsible for and I will tell you whether an audit would help, and what it would involve.

Book a free 20-minute call

Or email richard@confidentialriskconsulting.com