Science and Risk

This note contains links to documents and sites which will help civil servants give policy advice about science and in particular about risks to health and safety.

The regulation of risk to health and safety is a particularly tricky policy area:-

• Every £5,000k spent on automatic train protection (ATP) will save one life - but it would save 50 lives on the roads. To understand why politicians insist on investing in ATP, do read this thought-provoking note about how Government should respond to concerns about risks to health and safety,
• as well as this October 2006 report by the Better Regulation Commission: "Risk, Responsibility, Regulation: Whose Risk Is It Anyway?"
• and also have a look at a related note about the link between radiation and cancer,
• as well as a review of what happened when radiation and risk came together in the 2001 depleted uranium scare.

• You can also examine two case studies:-
  • Is the UK becoming much wetter as a result of climate change?, and
  • Is BSE leading to an increasing number of cases of vCJD?

• I have also prepared a commentary on the BSE Report.

Other Useful Sites

Follow these links to read:

• general guidance on risk assessment,
• a risk communication toolkit,
• authoritative guidance on communicating risks which is applicable to virtually any risk bearing issue, and
• the Government's guidelines on scientific advice and policy making.

The website of the Health and Safety Executive contains interesting documents such as Reducing Risk, Protecting People and the As Low as Reasonably Possible (ALARP) Guidance for HSE staff, both of which provide an insight into HSE's approach to risk management and control.

Follow this link for a summary of basic scientific facts, figures and relationships:- essential reading for all GCSE and A level students as well as civil servants trying to make sense of scientific papers etc.

The Institute of Physics offers a wonderful jargon-free website which will answer many of your science-related questions. Ideal for those questions that you don't like to ask in the office for fear of betraying your lack of scientific knowledge!.