Three decades of risk research: accomplishments and new challenges (original) (raw)
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Foundational Issues in Risk Assessment and Risk Management
Risk Analysis, 2013
This is a perspective article on foundational issues in risk assessment and management. The aim is to discuss the needs, obstacles, and challenges for the establishment of a renewed, strong scientific foundation for risk assessment and risk management suited for the current and future technological challenges. The focus is on (i) reviewing and discussing the present situation and (ii) identifying how to best proceed in the future, to develop the risk discipline in the directions needed. The article provides some reflections on the interpretation and understanding of the concept of "foundations of risk assessment and risk management" and the challenges therein. One main recommendation is that different arenas and moments for discussion are needed to specifically address foundational issues in a way that embraces the many disciplinary communities involved (from social scientists to engineers, from behavioral scientists to statisticians, from health physicists to lawyers, etc.). One such opportunity is sought in the constitution of a novel specialty group of the Society of Risk Analysis.
Widening the Understanding of Risk Approaches by Comparing Definitions from Different Disciplines
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The aim of this chapter is to critically reflect definitions of hazard, risk, and risk perception and their assessments used in different scientific disciplines and give examples of the potential implications for scientific discussions, knowledge management, and risk communication. Scientists with backgrounds in public health, psychology, environmental health, occupational health, engineering, sociology, and medicine were asked for a definition of hazard, risk, risk assessment, and risk perception seen from their specific scientific disciplines. Hazard is generally seen as an adverse event or condition. For most risk definitions, probability and severity are important aspects. Often a quantification of risk is desired, whereas risk perception is seen as a subjective appraisal and a cognitive construct. As risk perceptions are based on a combination of knowledge and individual values and affects, it may not provide a reliable guidance for risk management decisions on a societal level. Discipline differences are mainly connected to terminology and interpretation of key concepts, but the differences are based on different tasks and perspectives. For dealing with controversies in science across disciplines, an acceptance and appreciation of terminology and perspectives from different scientific disciplines are needed to ensure a transparent risk assessment process.
Risk assessment and risk management: Review of recent advances on their foundation
Risk assessment and management was established as a scientific field some 30–40 years ago. Principles and methods were developed for how to conceptualise, assess and manage risk. These principles and methods still represent to a large extent the foundation of this field today, but many advances have been made, linked to both the theoretical platform and practical models and procedures. The purpose of the present invited paper is to perform a review of these advances, with a special focus on the fundamental ideas and thinking on which these are based. We have looked for trends in perspectives and approaches, and we also reflect on where further development of the risk field is needed and should be encouraged. The paper is written for readers with different types of background, not only for experts on risk.
Risk Science Contributions: Three Illustrating Examples
Risk Analysis, 2020
This article aims to demonstrate that risk science is important for society, industry and all of us. Rather few people today, including scientists and managers, are familiar with what this science is about-its foundation and main features-and how it is used to gain knowledge and improve communication and decision making in real-life situations. The article seeks to meet this challenge, by presenting three examples, showing how risk science works to gain new generic, fundamental knowledge on risk concepts, principles, and methods, as well as supporting the practical tackling of actual risk problems.
Risk analysis and risk management
EDPACS, 2004
In the Tigris-Euphrates valley about 3200 B.C. there lived a group called the Ashipu. One of their primary functions was to serve as consultants for risky, uncertain, or difficult decisions. If a decision needed to be made concerning a forthcoming risky venture, a proposed marriage arrangement, or a suitable building site, one could consult with a member of the Ashipu. The Ashipu would (1) identify the important dimensions of the problem, (2) identify alternative actions, and (3) collect data on the likely outcomes (e.g., profit or loss, success or failure) of each alternative. The best available data from their perspective were signs from the gods, which the priestlike Ashipu were especially qualified to divine. The Ashipu would then create a ledger. For each alternative, if the signs were favorable, they would enter a plus; if not, they would enter a minus. After the analysis was completed, the Ashipu would recommend the most favorable alternative. The last step was to issue a final report, etched upon a clay tablet (Oppenheim, 1977). According to Grier (1980, 1981), the practices of the Ashipu mark the first recorded instance of a simplified form of risk analysis. The similarities between the practices and procedures of modem risk analysts and those of their Babylonian forebears underscore the point that people have been dealing with problems of risk for a long time, often in a sophisticated and quantitative way. This chapter reviews the history of risk analysis and risk management giving special emphasis to the neglected period prior to the 20th century. It is hoped that this review will serve to (1) dampen the prevailing tendency to view present-day concerns about risk in an ahistorical context, (2) shed light on the intellectual antecedents of current thinking about risk, (3) clarify how contemporary ideas about risk analysis and societal risk management
Concepts of Risk: An Interdisciplinary Review Part 1: Disciplinary Risk Concepts
GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society, 2008
Risks, from natural or human sources, shape our physical, natural, and human environments. Most people demand healthy and safe products, trust that technologies that are meant to serve them do not act against their vital interests, and expect regulatory agencies to reduce risks to levels deemed tolerable by the majority of people. However, the scientific foundation for understanding and controlling risks is still far from being established. The main reason for this open situation is the multidisciplinary nature of risk. Risk means something different in the natural, engineering, psychological, social, and cultural disciplines. The first part of this review is an attempt to summarize the main disciplinary approaches to understanding and analyzing risk. It also seeks to provide some overarching categories that may help risk professionals in the academic and practical (risk management) fields to familiarize themselves with the fragmented field of risk studies and approaches, and to use...