Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2013C00288:reg:7:p2
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2013C00288
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 7 (pt 2/2)
Character Range: 1087336–1088815

7.2              Risk management
One of the key objectives of risk assessment is usually to support a decision about what to do about the contamination present on a site. For effective risk management, it is important that the potential risk management actions are considered at the planning stage (that is, issues identification). Failure to adequately plan is likely to result in a risk assessment that does not fully meet the needs of the risk manager and other stakeholders.

Risk management decisions are often taken by a group of stakeholders (for example, landowner, project managers, legal advisors and regulators), few of whom are expert in risk assessment. It is important that the results of risk assessment, including the consideration of uncertainty, are presented in a way that can be understood by non-specialists.

One of the key considerations in risk management is the extent to which remediation is needed in order to adequately mitigate the risk. Poor understanding of the risk assessment process and the inherent uncertainties can lead to lack of confidence on the part of stakeholders, often resulting in a decision to remediate to a higher standard than necessary (for example to the HILs).

Making a risk management decision requires informed consideration of the risks in the context of the site and broader stakeholder issues that may include practicality and community acceptability, cost/benefit, time scales for remediation and technical feasibility.