#13628
Understanding Risk: Informing Decisions in a Democratic Society
Understanding Risk addresses a central dilemma of risk decisionmaking in a democracy: detailed scientific and technical information is essential for making decisions, but the people who make and live with those decisions are not scientists. The key task of risk characterization is to provide needed and appropriate information to decisionmakers and the public. This important new volume illustrates that making risks understandable to the public involves much more than translating scientific knowledge. The volume also draws conclusions about what society should expect from risk characterization and offers clear guidelines and principles for informing the wide variety of risk decisions that face our increasingly technological society.
Stern, Paul C. and Harvey V. Fineberg, Eds. National Academies Press (1996). Books>Risk Communication>Assessment
#30303
Principles of usability can apply to everything, not just physical objects. When using or creating graphics, documents, symbols or logos, stop and try to think about whether or not the item is usable.
Lanier, Clinton R. sense and usability (2007). Articles>Usability>Technical Illustration>Risk Communication
#19967
Using Web Tools to Communicate about Risks to the Public 
Communicating health, safety, and environmental risks to the public and to the scientific, political, and business communities is a persuasive task as well as an informative one. The job is made easier if the assertions about risk can be backed up with empirical data. But risks are often characterized through the analysis of data sets containing thousands if not millions of measurements. Further, the collection of these data is often conducted by many research teams, and the results often appear in disparate portions of the scientific literature or regulatory reports. On top of all this, environmental, safety, and health data compilations are frequently massive. As a result, finding needed data can be difficult, and understanding it can be bewildering. Web tools are available that synthesize these data and present the information they contain in an organized, understand-able fashion. In doing so, they help risk communicators to focus their writing on a specific topic and to base their assertions on hard facts.
O'Hara, Frederick M., Jr. and Frederick W. Stoss. STC Proceedings (2001). Articles>Risk Communication>Web Design>Writing
#14577
When Is A Warning Adequate? Perspectives From Document Design 
Although safety information is hardly ever read by users of appliances such as hair-dryers warnings must be included in manuals to protect manufacturers from litigation lawsuits. The law stipulates that a warning is adequate when the reasonable user is likely to read it, and when it sufficiently alerts the user both to the nature and degree of the danger. The present study was aimed at examining to what extent regular users of hair-dryers are able to calculate risks that are not explicated in safety instructions; and to determine whether/how users' estimation of the severity of a risk could be paired to the nature of the consequences of non-compliance. As predicted by the researcher the majority of respondents were acquainted with the nature and the level of danger associated with contact between electrical current and water, but were unable to calculate the risks associated with a significant number of other safety instructions. A redesign would, however, require the active involvement of graphic designers, subject experts (electrical engineers and products liability experts) as well as a second round of user-evaluation.
Carstens, Adelia. Universiteit Stellenbosch Taalsentrum (2002). Articles>Documentation>Risk Communication
#22269
When the Doctor and Patient Don't See Eye to Eye
Learn how to handle the struggle that develops between the patient and the clinician when the patient is feeling uncertain and anxious.
DHCC. Presentations>Scientific Communication>Biomedical>Risk Communication
#10281
This article presents the history of the ANSI standard for preparation of Material Safety Data Sheets, and then provides a section-by-section guide to preparing MSDSs that comply with the standard.
Croft, Suzanne D. Technical Communication Online (1996). Articles>Risk Communication>Standards>Technical Writing
#34279
Decision Analysis and Risk Management: Two Sides of the Same Coin 
Every decision involves an analysis of possible future events (costs, outcomes, markets, etc.) and selection of a choice among competing alternatives. Making a decision is making a selection. This white paper will provide you with an outline of how to judge the quality of decisions by exploring how effectively the risks associated with various options have been analyzed.
Egan, Brian Denis. Global Knowledge (2006). Articles>Management>Risk Communication>Business Communication
#34395
Risk Communication and Public Perception of Technological Hazards (Part One)
Research on risk communication relates basic risk perception studies to the formulation of policies, the currently evolving legislation dealing with hazards, the key issues of public involvement, the risk and environmental management. Risk communication is a relatively new field based on a sociological approach. The discipline comes from risk perception studies (psychological approach), which try to investigate how the public is influenced by certain variables in perceiving risk as "acceptable" or not. Risk communication involves some aspects of risk analysis methodology, since it results that also the technical analysis is influenced by the co-operation between the actors involved.
Recchia, Virginia. Social Science Research Network (1999). Articles>Risk Communication>Technology
#35003
This article uses theories of space and findability to analyze a public information center as an example of multi-modal risk communication. The Yucca Mountain Information Center is an informational space created by the Department of Energy to inform the public about the proposed nuclear waste repository planned for Yucca Mountain, Nevada. As a public space, the Center uses fact sheets, posters, and three-dimensional displays to make arguments about the storage of nuclear waste; we argue that the physical space, text, displays, and online space are all elements of risk communication. We offer a new way to read these elements of risk communication and suggest potential opportunities for public agency.
Nagelhout, Ed, Julie Staggers and Denise Tillery. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (2009). Articles>Scientific Communication>Risk Communication>Case Studies
#35245
Risk Assessment: Trading Carefully in an Uncertain World 
This article reminds us that risk needs to be identified before it can be quantified. It points out that risk models are only as good as the people who devised them and the basic assumption needs to be frequently re-examined.
Rarity, Brian. Business Information Review (2008). Articles>Management>Risk Communication
#35724
Teaching Spokespeople to Manage Risk
There is a significant risk of being quoted out of context during media interviews. This risk can fall anywhere along a spectrum that ranges from mild to severe. Mild risk occurs when the information included in a media story appears to be less than accurate. If you’ve ever heard a spokesperson complain that reporters never get it right, you’ve probably witnessed this type of risk firsthand. Severe risk occurs when a portion of what the spokesperson says is twisted or turned, then included in a story to deliberately fan the flames of a smoldering fire. If this occurs, an organization may need to exercise damage control, and there may be significant risk to its reputation.
Bergman, Eric. Communication World Bulletin (2009). Articles>Education>Public Relations>Risk Communication
