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.
| Biological | Chemical | Physical | |
| 1 | |||
| 2 | |||
| 3 | |||
| 4 | |||
| 5 | |||
| 6 | |||
| 7 | |||
| 8 | |||
| 9 | |||
| 10 |
Of the three risk categories, in which do you routinely place yourself?
How dangerously do you live? Where along the range of 1 to 10 do you typically fall?
Compare your record with others in your class. Are you living more or less dangerously than other classmates?
What is the most dangerous thing you do and could the danger for this task be minimized?
Can you justify each action by the benefit gained? Would you have to give up something of great importance do avoid the risk?
Is your current location (rural, urban, suburban) affecting your cost–benefit analysis, and how?
Are you comfortable with the level of risk you experience in your life?
Activity results are being submitted...