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.
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