RSK80003- Risk Perception and Analysis

Task:

Part A Societal attitudes towards Risk

Write a critical summary of the points made by Clarke in the provided paper by Clarke (Witches, 1 Floods and Wonder Drugs). Clarke bases his points on three stories, but there is an overall set of ideas that he is using these stories to illustrate. What are the ideas he is presenting? A critical summary is not a point-by-point paraphrasing of the content, it is a higher level interpretation of the content and it includes your views on this.

Part B Personal and Societal Responses to Risk

Select a disaster that is well documented on the web and that is in a situation or industry of interest to you. Provide relevant links etc. of all the sources you use, so that I may see the same detail that you have had access to.

The Topic 2 notes describe ten things that influence people’s perceptions of a risk (eg. voluntariness, equitability etc.). See slides 3 to 7 inclusive and, of course, study carefully the

lecture on these slides and the associated notes. Read also the provided paper by Slovic (Perception of Risk).

1. Your first task is to reflect on the application of these ideas to people affected by the disaster you have chosen. Do this considering both the people who were the victims of the case and a representative person from an organisation in control of the risk (employer/senior manager, Government department issuing development permits and approvals).

2. Your second task is to comment on the management of this type of risk by society. To comment in a meaningful manner, you will need to study and reflect on the noes on this subject. 

Part C Legal and Victim Views of Risk

Complete the three exercises found in the Module 2 Topic 3 notes., namely:

Exercise 1:

Look for relevant legislation in a jurisdiction of interest to you (other than Victoria, Australia) and extract from it the general statements of expectation (eg. as done above for Victoria). 

Relevant legislation is legislation that is concerned with safety duties in either the occupational or public risk domains.

Extend your investigations to include a small number of relevant Regulations and Codes of Practice, including those relating to the meaning of the term ‘reasonably practical’.

Subject these to a critical analysis (in the context of the theory introduced in this Unit) of meaning, 2 definitions, logic and practicality.