Assessing the Acceptability of Environmental Risk—A Public Policy Perspective

Abstract Major accidents such as Bhopal and Chernobyl have highlighted the potential for accidents at industrial facilities to cause significant harm to humans and the environment. To date, there has been limited regulation in Australia of the risks to the environment from such facilities with most States relying on the adoption of measures to protect humans to also protect the natural environment. However, incidents such as the Sandoz warehouse fire have demonstrated that major accidents to the environment can occur without significant harm to human health. This article identifies the critical issues which need to be addressed in the development of a public policy framework for the assessment of risks to the natural environment from industrial facilities. Particular attention is paid to the potential for quantitative risk assessment techniques to assist in the decision-making process on the acceptability or otherwise of environmental risks. In addition, the need for public involvement in the decision-making process and the ways in which this can be facilitated are discussed.