SPS Online.
Risk Analysis Overview
Overview.
risk Assessment.
Risk Management.
Risk Communication.
Review.
In-Depth Interpretation of Risk Assessment.
What is Risk Assessment.
What Risk Assessment Do & What They Not Do.
Conducting a Good Risk Assessmnet.
Overview.
Precise Statement.
Imprecise Statement.
Imprecise Statement.
Review.
International Guidelines for Risk Analysis.
Guidelines Relative to Plant Protection & Quarantine.
Guidelines Relative to Veterinary Services.
Overview.
Definition of a Region.
Benchmark Risk Levels.
Compliance with WTO Requirments.
Example - Background of South Africa.
Glossary.

In-Depth Interpretation of Risk Assessment

What Risk Assessments Do and What They Do Not Do

To understand better the concept of risk assessment, it may be helpful to look at what they do and what they do not do.

Risk assessments do:

  • Estimate the probability that a pest or disease may be introduced and established and/or spread.
  • Estimate the biological and economic consequences.
  • Estimate the potential for pest and disease damage.
  • Express uncertainty---about the organisms, the human error factor, the methods used.
  • Determine the risk associated with a variety of mitigation strategies.
  • Provide an organized, systematic presentation of the hazards and the consequence.
  • Provide a basis upon which recommendations can be developed for policy-makers.

Risk assessments do not:

  • Establish the acceptable risk level.
  • Describe with certainty when or if a pest will be introduced, if it will become established, and what the damage will be.
  • Determine policy. That is the job of policy-makers.
  • Provide the only input into decision-making.