How do you manage risk and uncertainty in your environmental health work?

In my experience it is key to understand the strategy of the organisation you are working for and ensure that any situation is assessed within that context. This ensures you are working to positively to help deliver the right outcomes.

Managing risk and uncertainty in environmental health work begins with a thorough assessment of the situation. This involves gathering relevant data, consulting literature, and engaging with experts and stakeholders to identify the problem and analyze the context. Ethical, legal, social, and cultural implications are carefully considered to ensure comprehensive evaluation. This process allows us to define the scope, objectives, and criteria for effective action, ensuring informed and responsible decision-making.

Once the hazard(s) have been identified and the situation risk assessed, it is important to risk communicate to the affected parties; including the required intervention(s) which helps to establish trust and transparency as the practitioner moves to resolve the issue at hand.

Although it is unusual to find a clear risk appetite defined in a strategy or policy, if you collate a range of views from senior management you can establish a majority view on risk. This help’s priority setting as a professional helping to deliver organisational objectives.

Identifying and prioritizing risks in environmental health work involves categorizing potential events or conditions that could adversely impact goals, resources, or stakeholders. Utilizing tools like risk matrices and registers, risks are ranked based on likelihood and impact. It's crucial to identify sources, causes, and indicators of risks, alongside existing controls and mitigation measures, to effectively manage and mitigate their impact.

It is essential to understand the capacity and competence of your workforce. Some solutions may require outsourcing and this demands a different approach to build a business case for investment.

The key is to identify the most influential people in the organisation by carrying out comprehensive networking as part of the job. Use these people to act as champions for initiatives required to drive the organisation forward. This is also true of stakeholders, if there is a way to use their feedback to shape the internal direction this usually helps commercial performance.

This process must be done at all levels within the business. You must understand how strategy impacts the shop-floor. Clients will notice poor strategy in the way they interact with frontline staff.