Titel_SS06

13.3 Revealed Risks in Society

In the foregoing different formats for prescribing acceptable risks are described. The decision
or the assessment in regard to acceptability is often made by experts and supported by various
cost benefit studies and comparisons with the praxis in the past. Until very recently the
predominant approach has been to use the risks experienced and apparently accepted in the
past as a guideline for making decisions in regard to the risks to accept for the future. In the
sub-sequent first life risks are considered and thereafter also risk in a broader context are
discussed.

Experienced life safety risks

By consideration of the numbers for the risk of death per 100000 persons per year given in
Table 13.1, (adapted from Schneider (1994), see also similar tables in Lecture 1) an overview
of the order of magnitude of the life risk experienced in the past may be obtained.

Average over all causes Occupational rate of death
110
100
300
800
2000
5000

25 years

35 years

45 years

55 years

65 years

75 years

100

90

50

15

10

5

Lumber Jack’s and timber transport
Forestry
Construction work
Chemical industry
Mechanical productions
Office work
Miscellaneous risks Miscellaneous risks
400
300
150
100
20
10
10

20 cigarettes per day

1 bottle of wine per day

“Motor biking”

Hand-gliding

Car driving (20-24 years)

Pedestrians (household)

10000 km car transport

5

3

1

1

1

0.2

0.1

Mountain trekking

10000 km highway transport

Air plane crash (per travel)

Fire in buildings

10000 km train transport

Death due to earth-quakes (California)

Death due to lightening

Table 13.1: Rate of death per 100000 persons per year for different occupations and activities.

From Table 13.1 it is seen that the rate of death varies significantly between the different
types of occupations. It is obvious that every household needs an income and the acceptance
criteria regulated by society serve to some extent the purpose of protecting the individuals of
society from exploitation by third parties due to their situation and consequent personal
preferences.

Further by studying the numbers in the table it is possible to recognise a dependency between
the level of the risk apparently accepted by individuals, the degree of voluntariness of the
activity and the degree of personal influence on the success of the activity. As an example, the
rather high levels of risk of death associated with motor biking may be considered. This
activity is clearly engaged on a voluntary basis and the driver is said to have a strong feeling
of being in control. In the other end of the scale it is observed that occupational risks in
general are far smaller for the vast majority. The interrelation between the degree of
voluntariness and the inherently accepted risks may be depicted as illustrated in Figure 13.3
(Schneider (1994))