Risk assessment for environmental management: Approaches and applications

Effective risk-management measures concerning the health, legislative and financial implications of environmental risk rely fundamentally on a robust risk assessment. Risk-assessment strategies exist at various levels of sophistication, and their application should be staged and matched to (a) the magnitude and significance of risks under study, (b) the sensitivities of receptors, (c) the quality of data available, and (d) the means by which risks are to be communicated. Three risk-assessment approaches are examined and their role is reviewed with respect to the completion of multi-media environmental management projects.