Risk Communicator Research Articles

How Do Perceptions of Risk Communicator Attributes Affect Emergency Response? An Examination of a Water Contamination Emergency in Boston, USA

AbstractA water main break that contaminated the Boston area's water distribution system prompted a four‐day “boil water” order. To understand risk communication during this incident, 600 randomly sampled residents were mailed questionnaires, yielding 110 valid responses. This article describes how perceptions of different social stakeholders influenced whether respondents complied with the Protective Action Recommendation—PAR (i.e., drank boiled water), took alternative protective actions (i.e., drank bottled water or/and self‐chlorinated water), or ignored the threat (i.e., continued to drink untreated tap water). Respondents perceived technical authorities (i.e., water utility, public health, and emergency management) to be higher on three social influence attributes (hazard expertize, trustworthiness, and protection responsibility) than public (i.e., news media, elected officials) and private (i.e., self/family, peers, and personal physicians) intermediate sources. Furthermore, respondents were most likely to comply with the PAR if they perceived authorities and public intermediates to be high on all three attributes and if they had larger households and lower income. Contrarily, they were more likely to take alternative actions if they were younger and had higher levels of income, risk perception, and emergency preparedness. These results underscore the need for technical authorities to develop credibility with their potential audiences before a crisis occurs.

Research on the Invulnerability of Chinese Banking System

Based on the stock transaction data of China's listed banks from 2007 to 2020, this paper constructs the complete network of tail risk spillovers among banks using the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) quantile regression, and dynamically examines the characteristics of the network topology and the survivability of China's banking system. The results show that the newly listed banks are mainly the risk bearers. The role of a single bank as an isolator, risk bearer and risk disseminator in the network will change over time. City commercial banks have gradually changed from the role of risk bearer to both risk bearer and risk disseminator. The attack experiments on the Bank of China, China Merchants Bank, China CITIC Bank and Zhengzhou Bank those have the largest number of weighted media in the network for the networks of 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2020, show that large-scale cascading failure can occur in the network by changing the parameters. If the attacked bank is a risk communicator, a larger cascading effect may occur, in turn, lead to the Invulnerability of the whole network reduced. In addition, we find that the scale of network cascading failure is related to the type of attacked bank and the characteristics of its adjacent banks: if the neighbor bank is the risk bearer, the risk will not be passed down; If its adjacent banks are risk dispersers, the risks will be further spread and expanded, that is, the scale of cascade failure depends on the cluster structure of the network.

Improving Risk Counseling for Kidney Transplant Candidates Offered Deceased Donor Kidneys

Improving Risk Counseling for Kidney Transplant Candidates Offered Deceased Donor Kidneys

Risk Communicator Education in Hokkaido University, CoSTEP

Risk Communicator Education in Hokkaido University, CoSTEP

Proposal for a Risk Communication-Based Approach to IT Risk

With society’s increasing dependence on information technology (IT) systems, it is becoming increasingly difficult to resolve safety problems related to IT systems through conventional information security technology alone. Accordingly, under the heading of “IT risk” research, we have been investigating ways to address broader safety problems that arise in relation to IT systems themselves, along with the services and information they handle, in situations that include natural disasters, malfunctions, and human error, as well as risks arising from wrongdoing. Through our research, we confirmed that a risk communication-based approach is essential for resolving IT risk problems, and clarified five issues that pertain to a risk-based approach. Simultaneously, as tools to support problem resolution, we developed a multiple risk communicator (MRC) for consensus formation within organizations, along with Social-MRC for social consensus formation. The results of our research are detailed in this paper.

Trust and the communication of flood risks: comparing the roles of local governments, volunteers in emergency services, and neighbours.

Risk information need to be communicated by trusted groups, in order to promote attitude and behaviour change. We compare different levels of trust in local governments, volunteers in emergency and relief services, and neighbours, and how trust in these groups shapes citizens’ perceptions and actions relating to flood risks. Structural equation modelling is applied to a sample of 2007 flood‐prone households in Austria. A series of cognitive and behavioural responses to flood risks is regressed on trust shown to the three groups. Our findings show that citizens show great trust and attribute high competence to volunteers, which increases risk perception and reduces denial and wishful thinking. Trust in local government downplays risks, makes citizens rely on external help, and promotes fatalism and wishful thinking. Trust in neighbours increases reliance on social support and reinforces wishful thinking. These trust effects reflect the roles and risk narratives of the respective groups. To stimulate specific actions of citizens in flood risk management, the group which addresses the desired actions within its narrative should act as risk communicator. Risk communication could be introduced as a complementary activity in voluntary emergency and relief services, wherein older, retired volunteers seem particularly qualified as risk communicators.

Effective doses and standardised risk factors from paediatric diagnostic medical radiation exposures: Information for radiation risk communication.

In the paediatric medical radiation setting, there is no consistency on the radiation risk information conveyed to the consumer (patient/carer). Each communicator may convey different information about the level of risk for the same radiation procedure, leaving the consumer confused and frustrated. There is a need to standardise risks resulting from medical radiation exposures. In this study, paediatric radiographic, fluoroscopic, CT and nuclear medicine examination data have been analysed to provide (i) effective doses and radiation induced cancer risk factors from common radiological and nuclear medicine diagnostic procedures in standardised formats, (ii) awareness of the difficulties that may be encountered in communicating risks to the layperson, and (iii) an overview of the deleterious effects of ionising radiation so that the risk communicator can convey with confidence the risks resulting from medical radiation exposures. Paediatric patient dose data from general radiographic, computed tomography, fluoroscopic and nuclear medicine databases have been analysed in age groups 0 to <5years, 5 to <10years, 10 to <15years and 15 to <18years to determine standardised risk factors. Mean, minimum and maximum effective doses and the corresponding mean lifetime risks for general radiographic, fluoroscopic, CT and nuclear medicine examinations for different age groups have been calculated. For all examinations, the mean lifetime cancer induction risk is provided in three formats: statistical, fraction and category. Standardised risk factors for different radiological and nuclear medicine examinations and an overview of the deleterious effects of ionising radiation and the difficulties encountered in communicating the risks should facilitate risk communication to the patient/carer.

Does being a jerk work? Examining the effect of aggressive risk communication in the context of science blogs

Understanding aggressive risk communication is important because many scientists use this approach and we know little about its effects. Two studies were conducted to assess the effect of exposure to aggressive risk communication by a scientist on respondents’ perceptions of risk communication quality, supportive behavior (i.e. forwarding the communication), risk communicator likability, and overall views about scientists. Perceived aggressiveness (studies 1–2) and expectation violation (study 2) were considered as mediators. Analyses suggest both direct and indirect negative effects of aggressive risk communication in the case of likability but potentially positive effects in terms of evaluating the message quality. Moreover, expectation violation provided one possible explanation for the effect of aggression.

Genetic counseling content: How does it impact health behavior?

Women with hereditary breast-ovarian cancer face decisions about screening (transvaginal ultrasound, CA125, mammography, breast exams) and proactive (before cancer) or reactive (after cancer) surgery (oophorectomy, mastectomy). The content of genetic counseling and its relation to these key health behaviors is largely unexamined. Ashkenazi Jewish women (n=78) were surveyed through the process of genetic testing and had audiorecorded counseling sessions available for Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count analysis. Proportions for participant and counselor cognitive and affective content during sessions were used as primary predictor variables in linear mixed models for change in intentions for screening and treatment and in self-reported screening. Cognitive and affective content were important predictors of behavior. Counselor cognitive content was associated with ovarian screening. An interaction effect also emerged for CA-125, such that counselor cognitive content plus participant cognitive content or counselor affective content were associated with more screening. Teasing out the factors in risk communication that impact decision-making are critical, and affect from a risk communicator can spur action, such as cancer screening.

Lessons of TEPCO’s Fukushima Accident from Human and Organizational Aspects and Challenge for Nuclear Safety Reform

The author participated in international experts' meeting held by IAEA on May 21, 2013 and presented the paper focusing on human and organizational aspects of the Fukushima nuclear accident. It clarified TEPCO's basic recognition: 'The cause of the accident should not be treated merely as a natural disaster due to an enormous tsunami being something difficult to anticipate and we believe it is necessary to seriously acknowledge the result that TEPCO failed to avoid an accident which might have been avoided if ample preparations had been made in advance with thorough use of human intellect' and then reconsidered the Fukushima nuclear accident: 'could we predict an enormous tsunami and take whatever countermeasures?' and 'could we respond to the accident better?' for the worldwide operators to avoid such an accident, which moved meeting's participants deeply. Presentation's contents followed 'Reassessment of the Fukushima Nuclear Accident and Nuclear Safety Reform Plan' published by TEPCO on March 29. This article described outline of the presentation. Though the only way to explore the possibility to save Unit 1 was that operators could bravely go up to the 4th floor of reactor building and open the isolation valves to start IC, it was given up without any clear communication among key decision makers for confirming the IC operational status. As for Unit 3, operators could not achieve thorough focus on ensuring core cooling such that proactive transfer from RCIC/HPCI to low pressure water injection was not challenged, mainly because of low trust on Diesel/Driven Fire Protection Pump (DDFP). During the design stage and afterward, ample consideration was not given to common cause failures originating in external events, which led to a severe situation where almost all the power supplies and safety system functions were lost. Continuous efforts to reduce risks were not ample, including the collection, analysis and utilization of information on safety enhancement measures and operational experiences in other countries and/or the consideration of new technical knowledge. Preparation for a severe accident was somewhat deficient in terms of facility and personnel deployment. Action plan for nuclear safety reform was as follows: (1) enhance safety awareness of top management, (2) establishment of Nuclear Safety Oversight Organization (NSOO), (3) improve engineering ability to propose Defense in Depth (DiD) safety measures, (4) establish risk communicator positions and Social Communication Office to build trust with local community and public, (5) reorganize emergency response team based on Incident Command System (ICS), and (6) enhance on-site staff technical capabilities. Nuclear operators' ultimate measures might be to continuously improve their own fundamental engineering capabilities and firsthand technical skills. (T. Tanaka)

Proposal for a Social-MRC: Social Consensus Formation Support System Concerning IT Risk Countermeasures

The problem of multiple risks is that a measure to reduce one risk can increase other risks. To address this problem, a system to support social consensus formation is needed to mitigate the IT risks such as those involved in information filtering to protect children. In cases in which the number of people necessary for consensus formation is low, such as forming a consensus within an organization, the Multiple Risk Communicator (MRC) developed by the authors offers a possible solution to this problem. However, the MRC cannot be applied to problems in which the number of stakeholders exceeds several thousand, and thus an innovative solution was considered necessary. Accordingly, the authors modified and expanded the MRC and developed the concept “Social-MRC” to comprehensively support risk communication on two levels: communication among opinion leaders and communication allowing the participation of ordinary stakeholders. By introducing this two-level approach, we are able to achieve consensus formation even in cases in which there are several thousand or more stakeholders.

A tale of two crises: the Belgian and Irish dioxin contamination incidents

PurposeThis paper aims to provide a focused overview of two dioxin incidents, with particular emphasis on regulatory successes and failures and their respective causes. The paper seeks to adopt a comparative approach to the case studies, with considerable use made of primary sources such as parliamentary debate, government reports and EC legislation.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is a review of the strengths and weaknesses in the management of the Belgian and Irish dioxin contanimation incidents.FindingsIt is concluded that open, transparent and decisive risk management, based on robust risk assessment, is paramount in ensuring confidence in both the food supply chain and, in the feed and food safety regulatory process. It is also concluded that the 2008 Irish dioxin incident tested the reforms prompted by previous food scares.Practical implicationsIt is important that the lessons from these two incidents are learnt if they are not to be repeated in other jurisdictions.Originality/valueThis is the first academic study of the 2008 Irish dioxin incident, one of the most significant recent food scares in the European Communities. The incident emphasises the vital role of open, transparent and decisive decision making in managing risk. In addition, through a comparative analysis of the Belgian and Irish incidents, the utility of the reforms prompted by previous food scares is demonstrated. In particular, the study highlights the important role played by the European Food Safety Authority in one of its first major tests as a risk assessor and risk communicator.

Evaluation of the participant‐support method for information acquisition in the “Multiplex Risk Communicator”

AbstractIn this paper, we propose a smooth risk communication support method for the Multiplex Risk Communicator. There has been a diversification of the social risks to the information‐based society, leading to complex social issues, and risk communication is necessary in order to solve the complicated social problems that arise concerning stakeholders with various levels of knowledge and differing standards regarding risks.We introduce a portal system that assists participants to achieve an optimal combination of countermeasures. The characteristics of the proposed method are: first, to classify the stage when participants acquire information; second, to enable smooth transitions during the information acquisition stage; and third, to support information acquisition by offering information portals. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn, 92(9): 24–35, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ecj.10092

The role of the pharmacist in optimizing the use of erythropoietin stimulating agents

With the emerging new warnings surrounding the use of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs), the pharmacist's role as health educator and risk communicator expands further to include patient scrutiny to check for eligibility and patient monitoring to check for response or toxicity. This review explores the benefits and risks linked to ESAs use, and the proposed role. ESAs have been increasingly used for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced anemia because of its documented effect on decreasing transfusion dependency. However, their use has been associated with thromboembolic complications, tumor progression, and decreased overall survival. This review covers current recommendations and guidelines that surround ESAs use in the supportive care of cancer patients. To minimize or prevent the complications associated with ESAs use, cancer patients should be adequately monitored and counseled. This highlights the importance of the pharmacist's involvement to optimize patient care.

Communicating Quantitative Risk Information

People often seek quantitative risk information, but, at the same time, many have problems understanding risk messages that contain statistics and numbers. Common hurdles with comprehending such messages can be related to the risk message itself, the message sender, and the message receiver. In this chapter, we review literature indicating that some representations and formats of quantitative risk information are easier to understand than others. These representations provide an important tool for risk communicators. Second, we detail the ways in which the message sender, a risk communicator, may hinder effective communication. Third, we discuss receiver characteristics, including literacy and numeracy skills, which can affect how the message is comprehended. For each of these three classes, we give practical recommendations that may help risk communicators to effectively communicate quantitative risk information. We conclude with a discussion of quantitative risk information in relation to risk perception and provide future research directions.

Application of "Multiple Risk Communicator" to the Personal Information Leakage Problem

Application of "Multiple Risk Communicator" to the Personal Information Leakage Problem

Evaluation of the Participant Support Method for Information Acquisition in the "Multiplex Risk Communicator"

In this paper, we propose smooth risk communication support method in Multiplex Risk Communicator. In advanced information society, various information, various social risk and various complicated social problem exist. Risk communication is necessary to solve complicated social problem between stakeholder with different knowledge and different standard about risk.In this paper, we introduce portal system that assists participant, to get optimal combination of counter measures for participant. The characteristics of the proposed method are, first to classify information acquisition stage of participant, second to enable smooth change of information acquisition stage, third to support information acquisition by offering information portal.

Academic Research Evidence and Risk Communication on the Ground: Bridging the Gap

ISEE-285 Objective: Despite a burgeoning academic literature on risk communication and mounting pressures on environmental experts to undertake risk communication, academic research is not getting through to risk communicators at the ground level. We will consider: (i) What gaps currently exist between academic researchers and risk communicators? (ii) What can we do to address these gaps? (iii) How can we most effectively use the academic evidence base on the effectiveness of risk communication to guide decisions on the ground? Material and Methods: (i) Literature review around the effectiveness of risk communication. (ii) Secondary analysis of 3 qualitative case studies that explored risk communication in the context of recent controversies in the North of England: (a) foot and mouth carcass disposal sites, (b) the Byker incinerator, and (c) Barnsley lead melting and molding. Results: Risk researchers usually have no experience of doing risk communication. Conversely, risk communicators often have little knowledge of academic work on risk (often published in academic journals). Subsequently, academic evidence around risk communication is not being tested in real life and is not getting through to people at the front line. Academic evidence on the effectiveness of risk communication suggests 3 key barriers: (i) mistrust; (ii) differing understandings of risk operationalized by experts and the public, and (iii) practical barriers. Experts also often feel that they lack training and a “workable language” to use. Conclusions: To most effectively use academic evidence to guide procedures used by risk communicators, we need to reduce interdisciplinary obstacles for learning to facilitate “jargon free” “joint-up” approaches. The authors (1 an academic and 1 a risk communicator) have worked for 4 years with other risk communicators to develop a Web-based interactive tool to provide evidence-based guidance for risk communication in the context of environmental hazards. The Website will be piloted and evaluated by users in 2007.

WEB resources for pesticide toxicology, environmental chemistry, and policy: a utilitarian perspective

Information about pesticides has grown exponentially over the last four decades and is marked by a diversity of sources including government, universities, environmental advocates, and industry. The internet has made access to this unprecedented amount of information faster than ever, but judging the validity and usefulness of the information is problematic. To avoid turning this discussion of web resources for pesticide information into a narrative about a personal ‘top ten’ list, a utilitarian perspective of resources useful to a research, educator, and risk communicator is elucidated. Useful web sites are fit into the context of information needed for risk assessment, which includes hazard identification, dose-response relationships, exposure assessment, and risk characterization. In addition resources for pesticide policy and regulations are considered. Specific ways in which the sites are useful are discussed along with information about site updating and validation of information.

The ethics of truth-telling and the problem of risk

Risk communication poses a challenge to ordinary norms of truth-telling because it can easily mislead. Analyzing this challenge in terms of a systematic divergence between expertise and public attitudes fails to recognize how two specific features of the concept of risk play a role in managing daily affairs. First, evaluating risk always incorporates an estimate of the reliability of information. Since risk communication is an effort at providing information, audiences will naturally and appropriately incorporate their assessment of the reliability of the risk communicator into their assessment of the risk as such. Second, one conceptual and grammatical feature of the concept of risk is to categorize experience as non-routine and demanding further deliberation. That is, the whole point of calling something a risk can be to distinguish it from activities or phenomena that need no further attention. Risk communications that stress relative comparisons of measured probabilities and expected utilities can be inconsistent with both features of our concept of risk. At best they mislead; at worst they undermine our society’s capacity to cope with risk. While there are no simple answers to these two conundrums, technical experts should bear them in mind when communicating with the broader public.