Risk Communication Benchmarking in Government. Colleen Bowen, Health and Safety Executive, Rose Court, 2 Southwark Bridge, London SE1 9HS, telephone (00 44) 171 717 6096, fax (00 44)171 717 6955, e-mail colleen.bowen@hse.gov.uk; and Tony Taig, Risk Solutions, 15 Lower Regent Street, London SW1Y 4UR, telephone (00 44) 171 389 6505, fax (00 44) 171 389 6510, e-mail tony.taig@aeat.co.uk
This paper describes the results of research to develop a set of benchmark principles for government risk communication.
Departments in the UK recognise that communication is an integral part of the process of managing risks, not only because of its importance for the effective implementation of protective regulation, but also in deciding what the nature and form of such regulation should be Traditionally, it has been possible for individual departments to produce material for the risks for which they are responsible aimed at developing public understanding and participation in their management.
But departments have found that the convergence of risks means that it is no longer possible for them to act in isolation. Despite a growing body of work on risk communication, there have been no agreed off-the-shelf models or principles for improving departments' communications practice. This research, sponsored by the Interdepartmental Liaison Group on Risk Assessment (ILGRA), has drawn on a number of departmental case studies -- covering organophosphates, infant feeding, land use planning, drink driving and crisis communications -- to develop a set of principles for departments to use in benchmarking their own practices.
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