Environmental Investigation: the National Risk Register and the National Risk Profile Documents - Term Paper Example

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES: NRR AND NRP DOCUMENTS ANALYSIS Student's Name Code + Course Name Professor's Name Institution's Name City/State Date ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES: NRR AND NRP DOCUMENTS ANALYSIS Introduction It is within the mandate of the United Kingdom government to provide robust analysis and the scale of the overall risks likely to affect the population. The analysis is based on the provision in the Civil Contingencies Act which tasks the National Risk Register of Civil Emergencies (NRR) to explore and examine the underlying disasters likely to reoccur subsequently and thus providing ample updates and information on how to prevent the dangers. On the other hand, the National Risk Profile (NRP) is responsible for the articulation of the overview regarding the more serious disasters categorized in natural and man-made causes of the civil emergencies assessed in order to provide remedies in turn preventing the disasters from harming the UK population. Risk Assessed and how they were Qualified The risk profile assessed various emergencies ranging from diseases pandemic, hurricanes, heavy rains, transport accidents, land pollution, water pollution, nuclear attacks, terrorism acts and cyber-crimes[Cab15]. The profile employs the descriptive approach in quantifying the information based on the historical events in the real life situations. All the events assessed share a common formula of analysis including the features, possible occurrences, possible trends and past experience. The assessment is based on the judgment of the expertise and interpretation of data. However, NRR assessed risks in categories entailing the natural events such as human diseases, flooding, major accidents in industries, electricity failure, public disorder and terrorism[Pro13]. The assessment was quantified depending on the scale of risks to the human life, the emerging emergencies and the new identified risks. Strengths and Weaknesses of the Assessment and Qualification by NRP Strengths NRP work in collaboration with DEMA, government agencies and other organizations to in description, evaluation and assessment of the net list thus providing guidelines, statistics and advice[Ins05] NRP is keen in establishing the results of the assessed risks in a descriptive manner based on real incidents in history instead of application of fictions scenarios. The process of assessment is rooted on the generation of a gross list of the possible incidents from which the net list containing ten incidents is obtained. In addition, the selected risks for assessment must have a national out-look and clear manifestation of consequences in United Kingdom. Weaknesses The profile is limited in assessing the consequences of the risks occurring in remote areas. In provision of the consequences, the register discards serious risks that have detrimental effects to human life though are not directly noticed and cannot be easily predicted which include the natural disasters that strikes populated UK regions such as asteroid, earthquakes as well as crop and animals diseases that manifests far reaching effects[Eur]. In addition, DEMA is the only body responsible in the descriptions, assessment and comparisons of risks contained in the report thus limiting NRP in exploring further consequences from other bodies. Strengths and Weaknesses of the Assessment and Qualification of NRR Strengths The NRR register breaks down the likelihood of the occurrence as well as the consequences of incidents to the affected people. In conjunction with international and local organizations NRR is able to assess the emerging and long-term risks[Bro09]. NRR register recognizes the broad perspective in study of the assessed risks in terms of the consequences, fatality, damage, disruption and the nature of the risks assessed. The descriptions are given shape by the type of the risks assessed including land and environment, air, water and society. In addition, to the organization NRR involves the government, devolved administrators and emergency responders in the determination and prevention of risks in the country. Weaknesses The validity of the emergencies after the assessment depends on the likelihood to happen within the next five years as well as the effects it may have on the human population if left to occur. Therefore, the range and the extent of the civil emergencies are measured by the consequences and the possibilities of happening[Pro13]. The assessment tables the report on the risks resulting to emergencies even though they are not featured in the Contingencies Act which nullifies the notion that all emergencies are categorized to materialize in the long term. Results of the Risks Assessment Strengths and Weaknesses on the Main results of the Risks Assessment by NRP and NRR Strengths of NRP The profile and the register provide a National Risk Matrix which is used to guide mitigation, preparedness and planning in national and regional levels. From the NRP profile of the risks, DEMA the figures presented are based on analytical presentation suggesting the degree of seriousness. The profile highlights the incidences in broader terms and later describes them in subsections on possible occurrences, past experiences and the potential trends[Eur]. Evidently, the risk management project fail to clearly state the timeline and frequency of the assessment either based on the single appearance or on the occurrence within the five years or over the project lifetime. The profile allows individual organizations to formulate ways of preventing the incidences and the risks responders are aware on how to formulate the planning in preparedness of the civil emergencies. Weaknesses The main result of the consequences and likelihood of the risks in the profile brings forward some limitations in the assessment process leading to the end results. The outcome of the assessments to the risks and emergencies and the methodologies applied raises some concerns regarding the credibility of the process. The concerns are aligned to the fact that the credibility of the risk matrix provided by the information is essentially affected by the scales of the impact scores index. Management project fail to clearly state the timeline and frequency of the assessment either based on the single appearance or on the occurrence within the five years or over the project lifetime. Strengths of NRR After the assessment of risks, the register is updated to better reflect the current positioning in the National Risk Assessment matrices. The register records longer-term challenges in case no risk is assessed and identified in various category of risk aligned in the list of incidents likely to happen and influence the life of people. NRR works in partnership with other groups to implement risk resistance strategy across the United Kingdom. The role of the risks responders, the government and other agencies is enshrined in efficacy and significant improvement in the accuracy of the risks assessment as well as the setting of priority. Weaknesses of NRR in its Main results Despite the consultation and the sketching of the possible emergencies, the register does not include every conceivable emergency and other day-to-day incidences that are often and affects the life of individuals over a long period. Its main concern is surfaced on the emergencies likely to happen in the course of five years thus disregarding short time risks. In addition, the register is limited to the registration of the emergency events only without considering the longer-term events resulting from technological advances and climatic changes within the risks assessment matrices. The methodologies are coupled with challenges because one incident may lead to another indirectly. The structure of the Risks Assessment Strength and Weaknesses of Structure of NRR and NRP Strengths of NRR Structure The register illustrates different types of risks that are prone to occur in the entire country. The structure of the National Risks Register is characterized with the categorization of the events into natural, major and malicious attacks. The formation gives the structure wide range of options in exploring the consequences and likelihood of risks[Bro09]. The structure therefore combines information regarding events that are relevant and consistent. In addition, the structure is flexible in allowing the comparison of different risks in the bid to establish the possible remedies for the events. The structure is designed to provide insights to the organizations, families, and community on preparedness to potential risks. Weaknesses After the assessment of the scenarios that involves risks, the list of the high-risk scenario is updated. The flexibility of the list makes is vulnerable to the tampering as the positioning of the risk in the matrices depends on changes. Based on the assumptions and fictious scenarios the structure may not be in the position to accurately bring out the root cause and therefore untimely information resulting into delayed response to the emergency. The structure excludes the longer-term risks that have potential negative impacts to the people but cannot mount into a single moment from the risk matrices. Strength and Weaknesses of NRP Structure Strengths National Risk Profile categories of the risks are further broken into specific causes, characteristics of the incidents, possible outcomes and the past occurrences as well as the future implications. Each division of the risks assessed takes the same structure though presenting different ranges of impact scores and likelihood of the reoccurrence. The scales of consequences depend on the fatality of the risk. The structure allows the inputs of expertise from various departments of the government, organizations as well as agencies to strengthen the outcome of the assessment procedures. The involvement of the international agencies and comparison of the foreign reports on the risks gives a broad breakthrough of emergencies in the country and beyond for a clear picture of assessment. Weaknesses The risks analyzed are limited to ten thus excluding other potential risk out of the list and assessment thereby providing partial information regarding the possibility of emergencies that may have detrimental impacts to the community. The selected risks in the profile share the same structure which limits the task force to explore the events in respect to the effects and extent to change the life of the people. DEMA as a partner in the implementation of the possible remedies and assessment of the risk ignores the technical definition of the risk which may result to undesirable outcomes of the assessment. The aim of the Risk Assessment Strengths and Weaknesses of Aim of NRR and NRP Strengths of the Aims of NRP The aim of the work done by NRP is strengthened by the continuous mapping and analysis of risks to articulation of the overview regarding the more serious disasters categorized in natural and man-made causes. The work results are twofold addressing the issues in European countries as well as the Denmark nation proofing the aim of the organizations is to provide information on the likelihood of reoccurrence of the civil emergencies assessed. The profile is rooted in the effort to provide routes for connections and links to capacity analyses and capacity planning ahead of risks. Weaknesses in the Aims of the NRP Weaknesses Despite regular mapping and analyses of risks by NRP, the profile is limited in the sense that its assessment does not cover the entire Denmark land and the range of the risks confronting the land but pays attention to the risks listed by DEMA as having the highest impact. The notion of the risks with the highest scale of consequences confuses the preparedness planners and the risks responders. The work is not involved in prediction of where or when the incidents may occur but limited to the consequences of the events. Strengths of the Aims of NRR Strengths The work compares the assessment of the emergencies to the likelihood of happening, the scale and the extent of impacts. The analysis is based on the provision in the Civil Contingencies Act which tasks the National Risk Register of Civil Emergencies to explore and examine the underlying disasters likely to reoccur subsequently and thus providing ample updates and information on how to prevent the dangers. As unclassified documents is to examine and probe information regarding the past trends of risks and emergencies. The assessment lays the platform in which to reestablish and repair the economic apparatus and align them with viable goals to reconstruct the economy. Weaknesses NRR is based on the public that is the organizations and individuals with aims of elevating their risks preparedness. Though the government agencies borrow information from the document, the aim of the risks assessment is to provide the analysis of the events that may face the nation over five year’s period. The work discards the potential happening of risks and emergencies in the society in the current time. The register may therefore be limited in addressing the day-to-day crisis in the local areas. Current Status of the Assessments Strengths . The risks in UK are increasingly changing because of the monitoring by the government every year an exercise that pulls expertise from all departments and government agencies[Bro09]. In the same point, the monitoring of the regulations meant to govern industrial establishment rules as well as roads are reviewed and strengthened as a result of risks assessment thus reducing the impacts of the civil emergencies. The review of the preparedness plans regularly depends on the flow of the information from the register and the profile thus enhancing the training and exercises. Weaknesses The devolution of the risks assessment has eased the civil emergencies for the local and community registers are available during the assessment thus revealing the risks rooted in the localities. In addition, the devolved administrators, business and organizations helps to identify any potential risks that may result to the malfunctioning of the society. The risks analyzed are limited to ten thus excluding other potential risk out of the list and assessment thereby providing partial information regarding the possibility of emergencies that may have detrimental impacts to the community. Conclusion The United Kingdom government is keen in development of clearer and effective procedures to respond to the risks that might befall the citizens. The aim is to ensure that the risks responders are well equipped to ensure efficacy in the response to risks and civil emergencies that cannot be prevented. The aim of the NRR and NRP as government classified documents is to examine and probe information regarding the past trends of risks and emergencies in the bid to reduce the impacts to the human life. The breakdown of the major crisis assists the relevant organization to keenly describe the risks individually in turn providing impacts scores thus the likelihood of happening. References Cab15: , (Office, 2015), Pro13: , (Profile, 2013), Ins05: , (Instruments, 2005), Eur: , (Commission, 2015), Bro09: , (Brooke, Crookes, Gray, & Robertson, 2009), s Read More