tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6646814270408041435.post521637738367453928..comments2023-11-16T22:58:20.912-08:00Comments on Risk... "the effect of uncertainty on objectives": As High or Low As Reasonably Practicable (AHLARP)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797225960549604196noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6646814270408041435.post-49920008823605692232011-10-16T07:51:30.172-07:002011-10-16T07:51:30.172-07:00Thanks for the kind words and excellent comment St...Thanks for the kind words and excellent comment Stuart.. <br /><br />Totally agree. The way we use risk in general language relates almost exclusively to negative outcomes. Like you, I used to have difficulty reconciling the concept of 'positive risk' but after some reflection i think it's a valid definition. <br /><br />Most professions have their own specialized terminology - and for good reason. If you look for example ,at the weird and wonderful terms from medicine, most of them come from ancient Greek or Latin. Even the English word 'acute' has a different definition in the medical world. Once upon a time, I used to think that medicine was taking an elitist approach. When I consindered how much language changes over time, I can see why it’s so important to create unique terms which are 'frozen in time'. Once upon a time for example, 'awful' meant ‘full of awe’ - something wonderful, delightful, amazing. Over time it has evolved to mean exactly the opposite.<br /><br />I think 'risk' is a terms that is important enough to have a professional definition even if that's different from common usage. As far as I can tell, the original definition of 'risk' can be traced back to classical Greek where it meant “difficulty to avoid in the sea". Unless we have an agreed professional definition of risk, we ‘risk’ ending up without any common understanding at all. <br /><br />The other thing that convinced me about the ISO31000 definition, is that there is no ‘negative risk’ that doesn’t bring positives with it. More on this point in my April blog if you’re curious http://31000risk.blogspot.com/2011/04/risk-by-any-other-name.html<br /><br />Cheers,<br />JulianAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02797225960549604196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6646814270408041435.post-57148831568041314942011-10-16T03:04:39.497-07:002011-10-16T03:04:39.497-07:00Nice article and great blogsite. I just wanted to ...Nice article and great blogsite. I just wanted to comment on the notion of 'positive risk' and suggest that such a concept is illogical. To most people I have met over the years, internationally, risk implies adverse (negative) consequences. I find great difficulty in talking about, for example, the risk of winning a million dollars or the risk of being cured of cancer or the risk of getting to work on time given the traffic. Should we not simply accept that risk is inherently negative and talk about anything positive as a benefit, or some similar terminology?Stuart Emsliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16453217510855724500noreply@blogger.com