Risk Assessment - Essay Example

Risk Assessment The essay aims to address a two-fold objective to wit to differentiate hazard, risk,and outrage; and (2) to give an example of low hazard risk but with a high outrage risk.
Risk Assessment
Risk assessment is the process of estimating the probability of a risk, comparing it with other risks probability and establishing priorities for avoiding or managing risks. In addition, risk assessment also involves the identification of a hazard (Spoolman & Miller, 2011, 428). Thus, risks and hazards are two important concepts in a risk assessment.
According to Spoolman & Miller (2011), a risk is the probability of suffering harm from a hazard that can cause injury, disease, death, economic loss or damage and is usually expressed as a mathematical statement illustrating the likelihood of harm from a hazard (p. 428). On the other hand, a hazard is the potential to cause harm and may take the forms of biological hazards, chemical hazards, natural hazards, cultural hazards, and lifestyle choices (Spoolman & Miller, 2011, 429).
The risk of being alcoholic in figure 17-16 and the risk of alcohol consumption in figure 17-3 surprised me because of difference in ranking. In figure 17-16, being alcoholic has the most relative risks towards other hazards as reflected on more than 4,000 days lost of life expectancy. The risk shown in the figures surprised me as I expected that in figure 17-3, alcohol consumption would have the highest degree of risk; however, figure 17-3 revealed that cigarette smoking has the highest degree of risk with annual risk of 10 per 1,000 and alcohol consumption ranked thirteenth with 6.4 per 1000,000 annual risk.
Aside from hazard and risk, differentiating hazard from outrage is also necessary in a risk assessment. While hazard is a real and objective risk, an outrage is a subjective, social science, perceived risk (Sandman, 2003, 9). As described earlier, a hazard has the potential to cause harm and outrage happens when the public overestimate the harm a hazard can cause. Although an outrage is a public perception of harm, an outrage is as real, as measurable, as manageable, and as much as part of risk and job as hazard (Sandman, 2011, 9).
Hazard levels and outrage levels may differ in degree. For instance, a hazard might has a relative low risk but with a high outrage risk. This is the scenario that happened after Exxon Valdez disaster in Alaska in 1989, an oil spill disaster. A BP oil tanker spilled a smaller amount of oil off the cost of California (low hazard risk) but since the public realized that Exxon erred by not providing quickly, timely, and honest information about the spill, the public viewed the same scenario as equally disastrous as the Exxon disaster and the public’s level of outrage became high (Walaski, 2011, 32). In case like this, outrage management is necessary and public must be calm down by sincere listening, acknowledging, and apologizing.
An effective risk assessment integrates together the concepts of risk, hazard, and implications. After all the assessments have been made, interventions geared towards risk management involve comparative risk analysis, risk reduction and strategy, and financial commitment (Spoolman & Miller, 2011, 428).

References
Sandman, P.M. (2003). Risk = Hazard + Outrage. Responding to Community Outrage: Strategies for Effective Risk Communication (Reprint ed.) (p. 1-12). Virginia: American Industrial Hygiene Association.
Spoolman, S.E. & Miller, G.T. (2011). Environmental Hazards and Human Health. Living in the Environment: Principles, Connections, and Solutions (17th ed.) (p. 427-454). California: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning.
Walaski, P.F. (2011). Communication Fundamentals and Theoretical Foundations. Risk and Crisis Communications: Methods and Messages (p. 19-40). New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Read More