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RISK COMMUNICATION

      DAVID M. ZALK PH.D. CIH

1 INTRODUCTION

      Risk communication in the occupational setting is most often associated with emergency preparedness and response, communication to the public, and within and between responders to a potential crisis situation. In the industrial hygiene profession (IH), risk communication is most important in discussions with workers. However, communicating risks in a language that workers understand can be a difficult expectation, especially when this skillset is not an essential component within the training curriculum of field practitioners. Learning how to communicate risk with workers is probably the most important lesson for field practitioners to learn if the end goal is to achieve recognition, control, and prevention of workplace hazards over the long term. It is over time that the chronic exposure‐related diseases develop, so ingraining the inherent workplace risks to the workforce is an essential component of risk assessment outcomes and risk management practices as a whole. It is also important for an IH to learn how to communicate within and between their environment, health, and safety (EHS) peers as well, for if the comprehensive workplace risks and necessary preventative measures cannot be understood between safety, health, and environmental professionals, then they cannot be fully understood by workers either. This is especially true for the current trend of EHS Generalist professionals. EHS Generalists need to understand for themselves where and how the relative risks for each of the individual EHS disciplines interact and are prioritized for a given task or process. However, this essential need for professionals requiring a multidisciplinary mindset is yet another underserved component of risk communication that needs to be addressed. As the concept of risk is understood differently depending on the listening and message receiving audience, the methods to communicate risk to managers and even into corporate board rooms also becomes a critical, yet limited, point of discussion, and teaching. Collectively, this holistic mindset can be considered as a process for directional risk communication for stakeholders; the understanding of how to communicate at the worker level, the interdisciplinary level, and to upper management. To accomplish this, it is important to develop a single, simplified form for communicating risk. By doing so, everyone who is a necessary partner for the field practitioners to accomplish their goals can speak a standardized language. This helps to ensure that all those listening can understand the risks being communicated and comprehend what their roles and responsibilities are to ensure these workplace risks are minimized or eliminated.

      1.1 Defining Risk

Defining the terms, we will be working with will assist in creating a solid foundation for building a standardized language for communicating risk throughout the workplace. Risk is often defined as the probability that harm may occur and hazards are considered to be anything that may cause this harm. Risk is a term that may be applied in many different contexts within the EHS professions, however, its definition is viewed more broadly across the society at large. Our values are what we might potentially lose when we are exposed to risk. Economics, societal position, as well as emotional and physical well‐being, are all categorical values that we share. These values can be improved or lessened based on the risks we choose to either take, decide not to, or forced into accepting either actively or passively. Judgments on accepting risk, which fit well within EHS discussions, are most often based on risk as a function of severity and probability. We take on a relatively high risk of compromising physical health and potential financial loss every time we get into an automobile, but it is apparent that society either perceives this risk vs. benefit decision differently or perhaps does not fully understand the relative risks in making that choice (1). Work‐related decisions about risk are often considered a product of the severity of a given hazard and the probability that an adverse outcome will occur. It is the role of EHS professionals to identify, assess, control, and manage these risks feasibly. This may be a bit more complicated for some hazards that may affect each of the EHS professions differently. For example, a chemical exposure hazard might lead to acute or chronic illnesses, be a source of pollution, and may also degrade the quality of a safety system in the workplace.

      1.2 Communicating Risk

      Just as the definition of risk can pertain to personal wealth, physical health, emotional health, or even one's status in society, the methods used to communicate this information to others may also vary. The true value of risk communication is when this real‐time, two‐way exchange of information creates a meaningful and accurate exchange of information that enables those at risk to make informed decisions to avoid or minimize potential adverse outcomes (2). Risk communication becomes a valuable component of risk management, integrating the assessment of risk and potential exposure that is just as necessary for investing in the stock market as it is in the workplace. This value is maximized