Topic 4: Risk identification, risk perception and hazard identification
Overview
This topic examines risk identification, risk perception and the techniques of hazard identification. These three areas are inseparable because the way in which we think about particular risks and hazards is affected by our perceptions, and those hazards that some people consider very real will be considered non-existent by others.
In the first section we quickly examine the process of risk identification and identify the major steps in the risk identification process. Some of these steps will be focused on in greater detail in following topics.
The second section explores the areas of risk and risk perception, and we look at what is meant by 'risk', how we might measure it, and why people may differ in their perceptions of risk.
Following on from the discussions of risk and risk perception we will link risk with hazards, and examine a number of methods of identifying hazards. Your planning group features in this section.
Learning outcomes
After completing the work for this topic, you should be able to:
- identify the steps in the risk identification processes
- describe some of the mathematical and conceptual aspects of risk;
- distinguish between the concepts of risk and hazard;
- describe the difference between 'perceived' risk and 'actual' risk;
- describe some methods of identifying hazards;
- identify hazards using the expertise of a planning group.