They’re all connected

Risk management is most successful when the regulatory authorities and their stakeholders trust that they can count on each other. When you’re the regulator, your reputation not only precedes you but can also determine how successful you are in achieving your objectives.

Reputation is what other people believe to be true about you. Reputation is built over time by walking your talk. Eventually (ideally) your stakeholders know they can count on you to perform what they think is your role. If you fail to meet those expectations, your reputation suffers. Trust goes down and regulation becomes less effective. (more…)

According to the marketer of a new line of nano paint, this revolutionary product is a “non-toxic coating system which is able not only to stop the appearance of algae and fungal growth but also destroy antibiotic resistant bacteria found in hospitals and medical practices.”

Impressive performance

Whether for shipping or hospitals the paint seems impressive. The company claims the antibacterial paint could help solve the problem of hospital super bugs. Risks The product data sheet for this nano paint raises the spectre of a real pollution concern. It carries the warning, “do not allow to enter drains or watercourses” while other literature advises: “Clean tools and hands immediately after use with soap and water.”

A reader of NewScientist.com where this item appears wonders where that nano-contaminated soap and water will end up if not in drains and watercourses. And what’s the consequence of nano pollutants in the environment? Risk research needed. Read about the key risk research questions that we need answers to in this article, “What’s driving the nanotech revolution and what this means for safety.”