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Posted By Peter John Scott
I am currently undrtaking a M.S.C in Occupational Health and Safety Management with Portsmouth University and am dealing with the question of how the public perception of risk affects the work of am occupational hygienist?
I would appreciate any feedback from any one has any experience or ideas on this subject.
Thanks Peter Scott
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Posted By Ed Carter
Peter,
From personal and anecdotal experience, I believe the following to be true in most cases.
The public often tend to be more concerned with the unknown than the known!
People will step over a tripping hazard often without reporting it, or fail to wear PPEor use inappropriate PPE. However, mention the possibility of the presence of asbestos in a building, or a buildup of bird or rodent droppings or in fact almost anything which may indicate illhealth rather than injury,
and the public seem less willing to take the risk. The SARS outbreak and peoples responses in countries, including ours, outside of the infected zone support this view I believe.
Good luck with the MSc
Ed
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Posted By Kevin West
How does the public perception of risk affect the work of an Occupational Hygienist?
From time to time the media pick up on the public's perception of risk in certain areas and then serve to build on it to a piont when mere mention of the subject sends people off shaking.
Take the recent 'epidemic' of SARS that we all should have been concerned about, or asbestos in buildings or genetic foods or irradiated foods or nuclear power stations.... the list goes on.
Health and Safety practitioners (and Occupational Hygienists) often spend much of thier time (often unproportionately) dealing with these 'risks' and so do not have adequate time dealing with the real risks as identified by risk assessment.
It is my veiw that rather than scaremonger the media should spend its recources in educating the public so that they may perhaps be able to make thier own decisions as to the risk they represent.
Kev
PS
Befotre I get lynched for mentioning asbestos is buildings. I mean that upon discovering for instance the ceiling panal above ones head is an ACM the response is often shock and concern (at the fact it is asbestos) before even considering the condition of it the liklihood of disturbance and damage etc.
Also;
Have you tried this thread on the UKOH (United Kingdom Occupational Hygiene) group discussion forum (links found on the BOHS website)?
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Posted By Jim Walker
Can someone post references on the subject of public perception of risk, as it is something I would like to read up on.
More interested in H&S than Peter's question.
Peter- don't mean to hijack your posting!
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Posted By Hilary Charlton
Agree, public perception of risk is in the majority associated with what they DON'T know as opposed to what they do!
We have both an asbestos cement roof and a radioactive source on site. Both are explained to new employees at induction along with the measures we take to "manage" these risks - I have not encountered any problems so far with anyone. If I didn't mention it and they found out then I dare say that the worry factor would exacerbate the risk in their own minds and cause a terrible hullabaloo (isn't that a great word!).
So, basically lack of information or mis-information will impact the work of an occupational hygienist as it will make the job 4 times as difficult as just being up front and honest.
Hilary
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Posted By Dave Wilson
Peter,
Dont think that the public do have a petrception of Risk but more of a perception of what the media tell them, it was in the paper so must be true etc.
To this end, you speak to any journalsit off the record and the only thing and I MEAN THE ONLY THING they will tell you what they are after is 'good copy', what sells !!!
For all you people out there be on your guard around the media and one of trhe best course I have ever done was a @handling the Media' run by the BBC journalists and certainly opened my eyes in what to do when confronted etc.
Sorry mate bit off the track here but, words like Asbests, E Coli, Salmonella, SARS legionella, Skin munching bacteria etc etc cause some level of panic within the generaal public at large because it is fuelled by the media, sells papers.
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Posted By Jamie
Peter,
You could try contacting Prof David Walters at Cardiff University, I seem to remember him doing some research in the area of risk perception when at South Bank University
Jamie
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Posted By Adrian Watson
Dear All,
A few books to read:
Life's adventures - Virtual risk in a real world.
Roger Bate
ISBN 0-7506-4679-9
What Risk? - Science, politics and public health
Roger Bate
ISBN 0-7506-4228-9
How much risk? A guide to understanding environmental health hazards.
Inge F Goldstein
Martin Goldstein
ISBN 0-19-513994-1
The Perception of Risk
Paul Slovic
ISBN 1-85383-528-5
Risk-Benefit Analysis
Richard Wilson & Edmund AC Couch
ISBN 0-674-00529-5
Reckoning with risk
Learing to live with uncertainty
Gerd Gigerenzer
ISBN 0-713-99512-2
Good Reading.
Adrian Watson
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