Understanding the Limitations in Risk Assessment - Essay Example

Understanding the Limitations in Risk Assessment We can define risk assessment as the process of defining and characterizing the type, magnitude, and impact of a possible hazard. Risk assessment plays a fundamental part in decision making where it determines the potential dangers and their influence on different parties with reference to a given situation. Governments, non-governmental organizations, and individuals use risk assessment in policymaking. Response to the Citizens Nevertheless, there are significant limitations that relate to risk assessment methods where there is low acceptance by the public, others consider it as an immorality, and there are many uncertainties that relate to risk assessment.

Moreover, many people assume that different risk assessment methods can overestimate or underestimate risks thus exposing the public to greater danger. Indeed, the group of prominent citizens seeking my advice on the new uses and limitations of risk assessments for risk management decision making is perfectly within the norms. This group has justified concerns relating to validated mathematical models on risk assessments for risk management decisions as proposed by the State's decision makers.

Personally, I will appreciate their concerns and confirm to them that risk assessment is a very fundamental aspect in risk management as State's decision makers rely on it to make sound, clear, and effective decisions. Additionally, I will present them with the distinct methods used to assess risk in governments and other areas. More so, I will inform them that there are major limitations that relate to the distinct methods of risk assessment and hence the need for State's decision makers to consider such limitations.

Indeed, to make a risk assessment, State's decision makers will have to make certain assumptions, which should be very relevant. Nevertheless, I will inform them that any risk assessment method should be valid, relevant, reliable, and easy to understand. However, I will inform them that exposure assessments relate to measurements, models, and assumptions where invalidated mathematical models dominate in making assumptions about population's exposure. As such, I will confirm to them that risk assessment entails various assumptions, which require minimal reasonable justification.

Indeed, the group should know that the law does not expect decision makers to eliminate all risk, but to protect people as far as is ‘reasonably practicable (Health and Safety Executive, 2013).’ As such, I will advise the group of prominent citizens to compel the State's decision makers to ensure that they achieve the minimum fuss or use validated scientific and mathematical models for exposure assessments in the entire population. Indeed, they can even seek legal redress if the State decision maker’s action will affect them negatively.

In the meantime, the group of prominent citizens should be wary and disregard the decision arrived from the invalidated exposure assessments until they confirm that the State's decision makers protected them to what is ‘reasonably practicable’ and that they achieved the minimum fuss (Health and Safety Executive, 2013). Validated Models on Exposure Assessments There are simple and complex exposure assessments depending on the risk management problem of specific situations. Both forms of exposure assessments depend on measurements, models, and relevant assumptions.

Notably, the issue of validating models dominates the conduct of