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Learn everything about environmental risk assessment, its importance, the scientific process it follows, and the regulations that govern it.
Published 14 Apr 2023
Environmental risk assessment (ERA) is a critical process used to estimate the probability of an adverse outcome of environmental changes caused by human activities. This follows the scientific process of hazard determination and the health risks associated with exposure to contamination. The result of the evaluation helps determine ways to remediate or remove environmental stressors and prevent or mitigate possible ecological damage.
Environmental risk management is a crucial measure that companies across industries should adopt, especially when planning a project that could impact people and their surroundings. The very first step in this process is risk assessment. Here are some reasons for its great value:
Environmental hazards like air pollution or waste leachate cause great harm to humans and their surroundings, which is why taking every single one into account through ERA is critical. Here are the different kinds of environmental risks that organizations, especially those in highly regulated industries, should keep an eye out for.
Proper environmental risk assessment, whether it’s for human health, ecology, or both, observes the scientific process and considers these factors:
Based on the information gathered by evaluating the aforementioned factors, the final step of the process can be accomplished:
Countries and states or provinces have specific agencies enforcing the law regarding environmental risks. They may have differences in regulations depending on the situation on the ground, but all have the same general agenda and adhere to the systematic approach described above. Below are some government ERA methodologies:
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The person responsible for this job is the risk assessor. This professional must have multi-disciplinary knowledge of risk management, ecology, toxicology, epidemiology, statistics, and several others. The environmental or health and safety officer of a company usually takes on this function.
ERA must be conducted before any project starts, upon detection of a new hazard, or when a management action could have an impact on humans and the environment.
Operations in high-risk industries such as industrial manufacturing, food and agriculture, energy production, and waste management must undergo proper ERA. But even small, low-risk businesses should conduct this when their processes involve any hazardous material.
These two processes are often interchanged or considered the same because of their numerous similarities. According to a report published by the Canadian Ministry of Environment, the difference lies in the approach. An ERA is focused on the current state of the environment and how a hazard could potentially affect it. Meanwhile, the EIA is centered on a particular project and its specific impact on the environment.
Environmental risk assessment plays a crucial role in determining hazards and their negative effects that can help your organization comply with the law and, more importantly, protect human and environmental health. The systematic process of calculating estimates and reasonable probability is critical in determining solutions for prevention and mitigation. Let SafetyCulture (formerly iAuditor) help you:
Eunice Arcilla Caburao
Eunice is a content contributor for SafetyCulture. A registered nurse, theater stage manager, Ultimate Frisbee athlete, and mother, Eunice has written a multitude of topics for over a decade now.
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