Abstract This article describes and assesses the security of transport of radioactive and nuclear material in Belgium that has been boosted after the terrorist attacks in Brussels in 2016. The article looks at the different possibilities of terrorist attacks on transports of radioactive and nuclear material and the possible consequences: theft of radioactive material for use in a radioactive exposure

Abstract The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its worldwide spread has an unprecedented impact on many people's daily life. As an external crisis event that is not going to end any time soon, will COVID-19 affect people’s risk judgment towards other risk items in daily life? The present study addresses this gap by examining the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on judgments of risk

Abstract Cyber-attacks pose a growing threat to global commerce that is increasingly reliant on digital technology to conduct business. Traditional risk assessment and underwriting practices face serious shortcomings when encountered with cyber threats. Conventional assessment frameworks rate risk based on historical frequency and severity of losses incurred, this method is effective for known risks;

Abstract Due to the increasing number of passengers at airports, regular security checks reached their capacity limits. Thus, alternative security checks are being discussed to increase their efficiency. For example, instead of screening all passengers briefly, a randomly selected sample of passengers could be screened thoroughly. However, such randomization-based security checks could be perceived

Abstract In this study, we present results from five cross-sectional surveys on public risk perception of COVID-19 and its association with health protective behaviours in the UK over a 10-month period (March 2020 to January 2021). Samples were nationally balanced on age, gender, and ethnicity (total N = 6,281). We find that although risk perception varies between the time points surveyed, it is consistently

Abstract This paper explores the contribution of software-based tools that are increasingly used for the semi-automated analysis of large volumes of text, especially Topic Modelling and Corpus Linguistics. These tools highlight the potential of getting interesting and new insights quickly, but at a cost. Linguistic aspects need to be considered carefully if computer-assisted technologies are to provide

Abstract In the transition to a sustainable society, many new technologies and materials are developed. These often have disadvantages, examples thereof with a sustainability claim that entailed risks to public health are identified. Risk Governance should ideally address and deal with those potential risks. However, governance mechanisms to efficiently deal with these risks seem to be lacking. In

Abstract The process of risk regulation is crucial across a range of institutions, sectors and industries. Regulatory bodies worldwide are confronted with a plethora of challenges in managing risks and uncertainties. The precise sources of these challenges are diverse, but are commonly associated with the degree of confidence in predicting and quantifying risks. When the level of confidence is high

Abstract This study investigates ‘risk’ as discussed in news coverage and in relation to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP): a treatment that has been proven to restrict the transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). In the U.S. and the U.K. & Ireland, there are issues concerning the provision and take-up of PrEP, which can lead to health inequalities. Raising awareness and tackling stigma

Abstract European lockdown strategies over the winter of 2020 have brought into sharp relief the need for effective strategies to reduce the rate of COVID-19 transmission and lower the rate of hospitalisations and deaths. Understanding exactly how European nations have arrived at this point, and the process by which they have done this, is key to learning constructive lessons for future pandemic risk

Abstract Heat waves are the deadliest weather-related hazard in the United States while also increasing in frequency, intensity, and duration. Population growth is also occurring in places most exposed to extreme heat. Current US National Weather Service (NWS) guidelines to issue heat alerts vary geographically and may not facilitate optimal heat risk communication. This study focuses on professionals’

Abstract This article advances international comparative regulatory scholarship on the implementation of nudge-style risk rating systems that are used to empower the public to make ‘right’ choices for their health, safety or security and help shape regulatee behaviour. Little attention, however, has been paid to the policy question of the extent to which the international introduction of such approaches

Abstract The outbreak of COVID-19 in the United States has resulted in over 11.2 million cases and over 240 thousand deaths. COVID-19 has affected the society in unprecedented way with its socioeconomic impact yet to be determined. This study aimed at assessing the vulnerability of the US at the county-level to COVID-19 using the pandemic data from January to June of the year 2020. The study considered

Abstract The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has affected 55 million people and caused more than 1,333,742 deaths globally in eight months since its first outbreak. People are increasingly engaging with information using interpersonal communication, traditional and social media to understand the novel virus. The deluge of information can be detrimental in containing this illness that primarily

Abstract Hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” is a relatively new method of energy extraction that makes it possible to use considerable amounts of shale gas that were hitherto unreachable. Although proponents of fracking voice their hopes for energy independence and an economic boost, fracking has been under discussion in several countries, its possible risks playing a key role when it comes to political

(2021). Journal of risk research special issue in honour of Ortwin Renn. Journal of Risk Research: Vol. 24, Journal of Risk Research Special Issue in Honour of Ortwin Renn, pp. 1-1.

(2021). The Grenfell disaster and risk governance: based on a presentation originally given at Potsdam on June 29 2018 at a seminar in honour of Professor Ortwin Renn. Journal of Risk Research: Vol. 24, Journal of Risk Research Special Issue in Honour of Ortwin Renn, pp. 121-126.

Abstract During a pandemic, the government requires active compliance by citizens. While these demands can be enforced with rewards and punishments, legitimacy allows the government to achieve the same results with greater cost effectiveness. The way in which a government can acquire substantive legitimacy depends on how it communicates and justifies its decisions. In this article, we measure revealed

Abstract The article draws attention to the multidirectional impact of the widespread Internet communication on public involvement in risk governance processes. The prevalence of Internet communication changes the rules of building credibility and trust, and a position of expert knowledge. As online peer-to-peer information are not verified by any single trustworthy institution, the expert community

Abstract British news media were central to the amplification of health risk concerns in the late 1990s and early 2000s such as mobile phone radiation, genetically modified foods and the MMR vaccine, which made an international impact. Few comparable examples seemed to follow, suggesting this was a distinctive period of risk amplification. This impression was investigated both qualitatively and quantitatively

Abstract This study aims to deepen the understanding of processes that affect collaboration between professions and organisations in the crisis preparedness domain from a gender perspective. A total of twenty-three Swedish duty officers participated in the study. The analysis of the interviews show that collaboration can be understood as (a) the militarisation of civil crisis management actors, which

Abstract British news media were central to the amplification of health risk concerns in the late 1990s and early 2000s such as mobile phone radiation, genetically modified foods and the MMR vaccine, which made an international impact. Few comparable examples seemed to follow, suggesting this was a distinctive period of risk amplification. This impression was investigated both qualitatively and quantitatively

Abstract This study aims to deepen the understanding of processes that affect collaboration between professions and organisations in the crisis preparedness domain from a gender perspective. A total of twenty-three Swedish duty officers participated in the study. The analysis of the interviews show that collaboration can be understood as (a) the militarisation of civil crisis management actors, which

Abstract As food technology continues to advance, the potential for new food products to enter the food market grows, attracting considerable media interest. Whilst previous research has explored public perceptions of food-related hazards, much of this took place over 10 years ago. Continued technological developments have yielded new food products, for which there is no extant research on public perceptions

Abstract This paper presents an analysis of the underlying assumptions and choices of the European regulatory process for health claims. The latter are scientifically substantiated statements, usually in the form of food labels, regarding the health benefits that a food may confer upon its consumer. We show that the European regulator (the European Food Safety Authority, EFSA) has adopted a particular

Abstract The outbreak of a novel coronavirus disease COVID-19 propelled the creation, transmission, and consumption of false information – unverified claims, misleading statements, false rumours, conspiracy theories, and so on – all around the world. When various official or unofficial sources issue erroneous, misleading or contradicting information during a crisis, people who are exposed to this may

Abstract This paper is about how we can make further sense of the safety culture concept in safety and risk management. Safety culture is here understood as shared beliefs, norms, values, practices and structures, with respect to safety, in an organization. We argue that the risk science (interpreted in its broadest sense to also include safety science) provides important reference points for what

Abstract Risk communication is a vital part of any risk management strategy but has become even more important in the time of the COVID-19 global health crisis. In recent months, nations across Europe have begun to consider strategies for rolling out vaccines, which is widely seen as the way to overcome high death rates and widespread lockdowns over the course of 2020. In most European nations, vaccinations

Abstract This paper examines how the UK print media represents risk in reporting about obesity. Using corpus linguistics methods (keywords, collocations and consideration of concordance lines) combined with qualitative discourse analysis, references to risk were analysed in a 36-million-word corpus of articles from the national British press about obesity, published between 2008 and 2017. Two main

Abstract Public opinion on critical issues, such as technology deployment aimed at reducing greenhouse gases or increasing energy efficiency, may be impacted through information disseminated through the media. It is therefore increasingly important to understand the role media plays in spreading misinformation to the public. Through this study, we add to the growing body of literature on misinformation

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic produced threats not only to physical and psychological health but also to the very fabric of family, work and social life. Individuals differ markedly in their ability to cope with such threats. Drawing on Identity Process Theory, our study examines identity processes that shape emotional and attitudinal responses to COVID-19. Survey data were collected from 251 adults

Abstract This article builds on the field of collaborative crisis management, a mix of collaborative public management (CPM) and crisis management (CM). A field that often focuses on large-scale threats, sometimes labelled societal challenges, whose impacts are broad and cross-cutting and impacts many actors in society and drives demand for collaboration. In this study, we are interested in events

Abstract Employing a nationally representative sample (N = 1009), this research examines Americans’ support for coronavirus response measures influenced by three psychological factors—compassionate goals, affect heuristic, and risk perception. Results indicate that Republicans, Independents, and Democrats are equally prone to experiencing compassionate goals. Further, two socially oriented emotions

Abstract Radioactive waste management (RWM) is a complex challenge, spanning various timeframes and societal domains, ranging from the technical, to the social, political and economic. As such, it has also attracted substantial attention from the social sciences. This article reviews social scientific engagement with RWM over the past two decades (2000-2019), with a particular focus on how this literature

Abstract In addition to the public health crisis visited upon the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has created unique uncertainties for organisations engaged with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), spanning a range of matters, such as maintaining operational momentum, financial sustainability, achieving policy influence, and engaging in strategic communications. In this article, we

Abstract Unintentional injuries within the home are a major health risk for infants and toddlers. Previous theoretical and empirical work identified parental risk perception as a key determinant of parents’ preventive behaviour. Yet, little is known about how parents perceive their children’s risk for unintentional injuries within the home. Since unintentional injuries are considered largely preventable

Abstract In the Netherlands, until recently, public messages in case of a large chemical fire, routinely contained phrases such as: ‘no hazardous materials have been detected in the smoke’, ‘there is no danger to public health’, and ‘people are recommended to stay indoors and close doors and windows’. Such messages not only fail to adequately inform people about risk, they are also inherently inconsistent

Abstract This study examined people’s expected responses to seasonal influenza in terms of risk perceptions from different exposure paths and protective actions that could avoid illness. The data reveal significant differences among ten exposure paths and seven protective actions. Among the exposure paths, drinking from an infected person's glass without washing it received the highest hazard rating

Abstract Motivating employees to speak up about safety issues in organizations is a daunting task for both scholars and practitioners. Previous research has shown that safety leadership is one of the most studied predictors because of its wide-reaching effects on safety behaviors. This contribution aims to test whether Parker et al.’s proactive motivational states (‘can do,’ ‘reason to,’ and ‘energized

Abstract Spending on counterterrorism interventions has increased markedly in recent decades despite limited evidence supporting their effectiveness. Effectiveness research is mostly based on statistical modelling of risk and risk reduction and tends to ignore the impact interventions have on the subjective consequences of terrorism in a population – e.g. increased fear and anxiety. Feeling fearful

Abstract The growing use of software in biomedicine has enlarged the capacities of researchers and clinicians. This, one might expect, would enhance the precision and safety of biomedicine. However, it has been recognized that software can bring about new risks to the field of medicine and medical devices, requiring at least some degree of caution from the different players responsible for technology

Abstract This study outlines the communication patterns that emerged throughout phases of Hurricane Maria according to the crisis and emergency risk communication model. Topic model analysis, latent semantic analysis, and word-cloud analysis were utilized to capture the complexity of communication through this extreme event. Topics that emerged during different phases of the event are discussed. Findings

Abstract The psychometric paradigm has dominated the field of empirical work analysing risk perceptions. In this paper, we use an alternative method, Best-Worst Scaling (BWS), to elicit relative risk perceptions concerning potentially unsafe domestic food behaviours. We analyse heterogeneity in those risk perceptions via estimation of latent class models. We identify 6 latent segments of differing

Abstract This paper initiates the discussion on the temporal dimensions of systemic risk, building on the pioneering work of Ortwin Renn and colleagues. Temporality is implicit in the key characterisations of systemic risk, but never addressed specifically as a concept or a framing devise in risk research. This paper, therefore, explores what a temporal approach to systemic risk might constitute at

Abstract We highlight issues relevant to a consent-based siting process for energy facilities with the intent to inform government officials, planners, and stakeholders on potential critical issues and challenges associated with such a process. In this paper we trace the history and meaning of “consent” in the academic literature associated with medical ethics, research ethics, international development

Abstract Many experts believe the risk of nuclear war today is the highest it’s been in generations. Yet much of the public has little awareness of nuclear threats and is ill-prepared to take the actions needed to save lives, including their own. Using a survey experiment on a diverse national sample of U.S. citizens fielded across two time periods, this study evaluates the impact of risk communication

This article addresses six typical communication traps regarding COVID-19 which can also be observed with respect to other risk topics. First, we argue that risk communication can slide into what i...

The aim of this article is to engage theoretically with city safety and fear by combining insights from intersectional theories of risk with poststructuralist theories of emotion. We argue that the...

While the National Weather Service and its River Forecast Centers and Weather Forecast Offices produce visuals, graphics, and outreach designed to support weather forecasts and warnings and inform ...

Abstract Media is an important explanatory variable in the research on the social amplification of risk; the public often perceives risks in social life through media consumption such as by relying on, using, and trusting the media dialectically. Currently, researchers have not reached a consistent conclusion about the relationship between media consumption and public risk perception (PRP). This study

Abstract In everyday mental health practice, clinicians are expected to assess and manage the risk of harm that may be caused by their patients to others. An informed approach to the activities of risk assessment and management should be grounded in a thorough understanding of the notion of risk. Whilst there are agreed definitions of risk, they do not do justice to the complexity of in-vivo representations

There are strong cross-cultural differences in the subjective judgment of risk perception of hazards or disasters. This article aims to examine the cultural construction of risk perception and who ...

Public discourse and deliberation are key to developing socially responsible and acceptable human gene editing research and applications. Researchers have raised concerns, however, that discourse a...

There are several models and frameworks that assist in understanding insider threat. However, practical limitations in operationalising these models include them being overly complex, too subjectiv...

Do accidents where users are injured or killed by unsafe products reveal underlying weaknesses in the safety culture of the responsible organisations? While manufacturing firms have long been conce...

Firms may employ different approaches to protect their products. Previous research has typologized the tactics that firms might use in differing ways; among these have been tactics associated with ...

This study advances scholarly debate on the impact of confidence and trust on flood risk perceptions using data from a random sample of 403 residents in New Orleans, a U.S. coastal city with hundre...

Although the significance of scientific expertise is often proposed and empirically illustrated in academic literature, it is still unclear how environmental expertise becomes authoritative, and ho...

Analyzing data from a nationwide online panel survey in South Korea, this study examined the impact of media use on attribution of responsibility to individuals and the government, perceived risk, ...

One important question concerning a risk description is to what extent it should contain information about the uncertainty surrounding an estimated probability for an event, for example, by using s...