RISK ASSESSMENT

The importance of risk assessment is stressed in the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 (www.ukresilience.info/ccact/index.htm) (CCA). The CCA places a duty on all Category 1 responders to carry out risk assessments. The purpose of the duty is to:

• ensure that local responders have an accurate understanding of the risks that they face so that planning has a sound foundation and is proportionate to the risks;
• provide a rational basis for the prioritisation of objectives and work programmes and the allocation of resources;
• enable local responders to assess the adequacy of their plans and capabilities, highlight existing measures that are appropriate, and allow gaps to be identified;
• facilitate joined up local planning, based on consistent planning assumptions;
• enable local responders to provide an accessible overview of the emergency planning context for the public and officials;
• inform and reflect regional and national risk assessments that support emergency planning and capability development at those levels.