NZ Risk Analyst Honoured

Is it safe to plant a crop at this time of year? Will this new aircraft design carry passengers safely around the world?

Assessing and evaluating risks helps us make important decisions that affect many aspects of our everyday life.

The Australasian arm of an international society that provides an open forum for all those who are interested in analysing risks, ranging from terrorist attack to disease outbreak, has chosen a New Zealand risk analyst as its next President.

Janet Gough, the principal policy analyst with ERMA New Zealand, has been named President Elect of the Australian and New Zealand Regional Organisation of the Society for Risk Analysis. She will spend one year in that role before assuming the Presidency in 2009.

Her appointment was hailed by Richard Woods, Chair of the Environmental Risk Management Authority as “a great honour for Janet, and a great honour for ERMA”.

“Janet Gough’s expertise and work at ERMA New Zealand has elevated the quality of information put forward for our consideration and enhanced the rigour of the decision-making framework,” Mr Woods said.

Janet Gough has a background in mathematics and quantitative economics, and over 20 years’ experience as a resource manager with particular expertise in environmental decision making and risk analysis, including risk assessment, risk management, perceived and acceptable risk, and risk communication.

She is responsible for developing ERMA New Zealand’s expertise in environmental risk management, and developing technical guides and protocols. She has oversight of the risk analysis, economic analysis and social assessment components of applications to the Authority for new organisms and hazardous substances.

She also supports ERMA New Zealand’s international programme through association with Standards Australia and the Australian Office of the Gene Technology Regulator.

Janet has been an active member of OB/7, the Standards Australia and Standards Association of New Zealand committee for risk management. She also chairs a joint New Zealand-Australian group that has developed guidelines for environmental risk management based on the Australia-New Zealand Standard.

In September next year, Wellington will host the 2009 conference of the Society.