Strategy risk
Finding the source of this pollution and stopping it is the obvious challenge. It requires an aggressive enforcement policy.
However, there's a real risk that too many of the resources needed to fight pollution will be consumed by the negative (defensive) strategy.
In the long run, the positive (offensive) strategy will make polluting the environment as unacceptable as smoking. People will avoid doing it and will ostracize those who do.
For a risk perspective on drinking water and an eye-opener about where the real threats to water quality reside read
Ron Truman's review of "Safe Drinking Water, Lessons from Recent Outbreaks in Affluent Nations" by Steve E. Hrudey.
Ron Truman is an RSG team member. As a former
The Globe & Mail writer and crisis communicator for Emergency Planning Ontario he has an investigator's mind that focuses on a deep understanding of the facts that will reveal the threats. He also has a craftsman talent to communicate a clear message that will be understood.
What makes human resource management challenging, and similarly the regulation of professionals?
In a word, people. The regulation of professionals is particularly challenging because it involves dealing with people. People with different backgrounds and different experiences in constantly changing circumstances.
Some professions generate a lot of complaints. If you are a regulator of this kind of profession, your resources can be stretched by the sheer number of investigations that you conduct. The solution: manage the risks that REALLY matter. We have many
approaches and
services to help you.
For regulators of professions that conduct a high number of investigations, the risk is that enforcement activities use up the organization's resources. Positive strategies don't get the funding they need. The risk is that you can't win by only playing defense.
If you regulate a profession that has few complaints, your resources can be focused on the positive strategy of creating excellence in the profession. Why limit the profession to compliance?
Our team can help you develop human resource strategies that improve personal performance, team performance and the performance of a profession. We can deliver professional coaching, training, professional development tools, and effective communications tailored for your requirements.
Read "
Why do we use random audits?" by Richard Page. This article discusses the positive risk management approach that the Dr. André Jacques, Collège des Médecins du Québec reported on at the CLEAR conference in Virginia in September 2006.
Protecting the foundations of health
Risk management helps regulators develop strategies to protect and promote health.
A breastfeeding child is the perfect image of health. Nutrition as nature intended. The health benefits of breastfeeding for both the child and the mother are significant. In the '80s Health Canada and others recognized that this perfect nutrition was being undermined and threatened by aggressive promotion of infant formula, contamination of mothers' milk, and negative attitudes.
Dr. Tony Myres, an RSG team member, directed Health Canada's initiatives to protect and promote public health and safety in this area. Under Dr. Myres leadership, Health Canada adopted a multi-pronged strategy to protect and enhance the feeding of infants. They developed partnerships with NGOs, WHO, and the media to change attitudes to make it easier for new mothers to breastfeed. They regulated the misleading health-benefit claims that formula advocates were making. They regulated the ingredients of infant formula to ensure that it met health standards. And, they advised pregnant and new mothers of foods they should avoid to prevent contamination of breast milk.
Dr. Tony Myres' experience spans both regulatory science and policy and program development in public health. Dr. Myres' distinguished career has been recognized by Health Canada. He is Health Canada's first Scientist Emeritus and we are proud that he is member of the RSG team. Read Dr. Myres article on
NANOTECH, The new industrial revolution. HOW WILL REGULATORS RESPOND? His perspective is that of a senior regulatory professional who witnessed the impact of another industrial revolution brought about by the advent and explosive growth of the chemical industry after WWII. The unbridled success of that revolution has left us with the challenge of a hole in the ozone and many other societal problems.
Dealing with the Achilles heel of road safety
The road safety system is sophisticated and complex. It encompasses training and licensing, vehicle design and safety features, road design and construction, maintenance, rules of the road, monitoring and enforcement. The system is remarkably safe and effective. However, crashes still happen. Driver error is often the problem.
On the prevention side, new technologies such as ignition interlock are designed to keep known drunk drivers off the road. Graduated licensing targets at-risk youth and seniors - with significant success. Regulations to reduce distractions in the vehicle by taking steps to prevent people using cell phones, for example, are being studied and debated. This is the "plan A" strategy - it's focused on prevention.
But you can't eliminate risk. With a good Plan A you can do your best to prevent something bad from happening. You need a good Plan B to mitigate the consequences when plan A fails. Plan B prepares for the inevitable, creating resilience to deal with the shock of a negative event.
Read the weblog entry for November 21, "
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune..." the risks that you can't prevent. Using a road safety example, this article addresses the matter of the need for strategies to mitigate the consequences of events that happen in spite of your best efforts.
RSG team member Derek Sweet is an expert in this area. Mr. Sweet has more than 30 years experience in the development of federal transport policy and regulation in the Government of Canada. Most recently, he was Transport Canada's Director General Road Safety and Motor Vehicle Regulation.
