Risk Communication || Laws that Mandate Risk Communication

✍ Scribed by Lundgren, Regina E.; McMakin, Andrea H.

• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
• Year: 2009
• Weight: 200 KB
• Category: Article
• ISBN: 0470416890
• DOI: 10.1002/9780470480120.ch3

✦ Synopsis

Although many organizations have realized that it is good business practice to keep communities and interested parties aware of potential risks, risk communication is still often conducted as a result of a law, regulation, or other government inducement. A number of laws and regulations in the United States mandate risk communication as part of the risk assessment and risk management process. New international guides and standards also stipulate risk communication activities. Although these laws can run to several volumes, making it difficult for anyone outside of the legal profession to really understand them, those who are communicating risk need to be aware of the laws affecting risk communication efforts and what these laws entail.

Failing to understand the laws and regulations can have several repercussions:

ț Some member of your audience (who knows more than you do about the law) may sue your organization for failing to follow due process. This has happened to a number of federal agencies because they took a law or even their own implementing regulations less seriously than did the audience. ț Your arguments for continued or increased funding for risk communication are weakened if you do not know the law. Organizations are more likely to take notice if the risk communication effort is "required" than if it is optional. Optional programs get cut in budget crunches, whereas those required by law usually do not.