Applicability of the OECD Dictionary/Thesaurus of Risk Assessment of Chemical Accidents.

Abstract

This presentation describes an ongoing EPA-OECD project whose goal is to improve understanding and communications in regard to the application of risk assessment processes to accidental chemical releases. The project involves constructing a Risk Assessment Dictionary/ Thesaurus (Risk Thesaurus). The Risk Thesaurus's approach to capturing and conveying the intended meaning of an entry is to decompose the risk assessment process into its component process "Elements," which are then described in operational language, i.e., no use of "terms of art." The person entering an item selects from the Risk Thesaurus those process steps (sub-Elements and Descriptors) that capture his intended meaning. The methodology chosen to gather inputs and generate replies to inquiries makes use of an Internet questionnaire based on this decomposed operational description of the risk assessment process (System). The results of initial tests of the Risk Assessment Process Dictionary/Thesaurus are described and future work on this project is discussed.