Chapter 11. Environment & You

Risky Business

Backstory: Governments and companies are continually assessing risks in order to maintain safety in places of business and in local communities. But at any given moment, on any particular day, individuals are also making assessments about risk. Is it safe to climb onto the roof to clean the gutters? How dangerous is it to drive during a snowstorm? Can you be injured while ice skating? In every case, we determine if the action is worth the risk, which constitutes a simple cost–benefit analysis. How important is it to clean the gutters, drive in the snow, or even ice skate across your favorite pond or lake? Most of the time we make these judgements subconsciously and go about our lives oblivious to the dangers around us. It’s time to be more conscious of your daily actions by enlisting a simple approach to determine if the benefits outweigh the costs or potential risks.

Activity: Your task in this activity is to think more carefully about all the risks that you encounter over a period of a single week. Using the table below keep a record of each risk that you take by entering a mark for each one in the column that indicates the severity of the potential danger based on a scale of 1 to 10. For example, going for a walk along a busy street would be assigned a 2 or 3, whereas sky diving would be a 10. Be sure to place each risk in its own category as well: chemical, physical or biological. After you have recorded your actions for a complete week, answer the questions.

Question 11.1

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