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ASCE


Risk Management

Approved by the National Energy, Environment, and Water Policy Committee on April 11, 2007
Approved by the Policy Review Committee on April 23, 2007
Adopted by the Board of Direction on July 15, 2007

Policy

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) urges government agencies and private entities at all levels to incorporate scientific risk management in all decision-making processes that affect the public's safety, health, or welfare. Engineers and decision makers should establish the quantifiable risk to the public's safety, health, and welfare as well as the economic value of costs and benefits when making decisions on: infrastructure development and improvement; capital funding; land use; disaster resiliency; emergency preparedness; the development of environmental standards, and all other areas of civil engineering practice.

Government agencies should clearly communicate their risk assessments and comparative risk analyses to the public, and, in a collaborative process, decide how much risk is acceptable to our communities in planning for land use; establishing water quality and other environmental standards; and particularly for developing infrastructure for flood and storm protection, and for resistance to other natural hazards.

ASCE recommends that government agencies and private entities:

  • Develop and implement up-to-date risk management guidelines;

  • Identify and implement strategies to reduce risk to public safety from natural and man-made hazards;

  • Establish core risk assessment research programs to ensure that risk management is based on adequate scientific data and appropriate processes.

  • Encourage and facilitate public participation in formulating risk assessment guidelines.


Issue

Risk assessment, comparative risk analysis, and risk management provide the tools to determine the severity of problems and prioritize the allocation of resources to protect people, property and the environment. Government agencies often do not effectively communicate to the public how risk management is conducted, what risk assessments mean, and what the uncertainties are. As Hurricane Katrina demonstrated, neither government agencies nor the public appreciated the risk that a major hurricane posed to New Orleans.

With effective risk assessment, comparative risk analysis, and risk management, and with public participation in the process, government agencies and private entities will make informed decisions in land use, infrastructure development, mitigation for natural hazards, and establishment of environmental standards.

Rationale

Effective risk assessment, comparative risk analysis and risk management can help us respond to the challenge of allocating limited resources while maximizing protection of human safety, health, and welfare and protecting the environment. Risk assessment is the characterization of the potential adverse effects that hazards can inflict on communities or the environment. Comparative risk analysis is a procedure for ranking the relative risk of hazards. Risk management is a powerful tool in the decision-making process where the conclusions of risk assessment and comparative risk analysis are weighed among other considerations such as statutory requirements, costs, public values and politics.

ASCE Policy State 437
First Approved in 1995



   
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