Introduction

Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) is a concept that concerns itself with the impact of a project on the environment in order to identify the areas of high risk and making necessary recommendations to ameliorate it. For example, an ERA understand the impact of introducing of GM plants, the usage of a particular type of chemical on feed, plant and food protection. Also, the assessment understudies the impact of the introduction and or the spread of plant pests.  To be deliberate especially in specific field like the GMOs and/or pesticides, an EFSA is demanded by the European Union (UN) legislation in order to undertake the ERA. Also, in addition, the ERA assesses the risks posed to both human and animal health by microbiological causes or chemical contaminants which will be visible in the environment and subsequently affect the food chain. Additionally, the environmental risk assessment aids policy makers and planners, decision makers and regulators to take decisive measures in protecting the environment.

The goal of environmental risk assessment is to assess threats, then plan to eliminate that threat or hazard or try to diminish the level of the hazard by making deliberate measures where necessary. Therefore, doing so, the ERA when implemented will create a healthy and safer place to work. The aim of assessment is to attempt to proffer answers to these questions:

1. What can happen and under what conditions?
2. What are the likely penalties?
3. How often should we expect the consequences to pan out?
4. Can the threat be controlled effectively or does it require additional action?

The environmental risk assessment procedure involves conscious several steps which are:

• Hazard Identification/Release Assessment: Employing processes such as Hazop, event tree analysis, failure mode and effect analysis, hazard indices and many others to ascertain the nature of possible threats and the probability of a risk
• Exposure Assessment: By conducting a risk assessment, it attempts to control the greatness of the physical properties of an objectionable situation (which is carefully identified in the hazard documentation and assessment stages), and the trails and conveyance methods of the threat to the receptor, using prognostic disclosure modelling outfits for cloud explosions, thermal radiation, aerosols, vapour amongst others.
• Consequence Assessment: An Environmental Risk Assessment attempts to enumerate the likely injury to the receptor, caused by the contact to the hazard, using various vulnerability models
• Environmental Risk Assessment or estimation generally consists of incorporating the assessment of the chance of release events with the results of the significance calculation to produce an appraisal of the total risk of an activity.

Summary

The importance of risk assessments is very pivotal as they constitute an essential part of the occupational health and safety management plan. The ERA helps to generate awareness about risks and hazards, categorize who is at risk i.e. public, visitors, contractors, employees, menial workers etc, ascertain if a control program is important for this specific threat, ascertain if there exist control measures are sufficient and what extra efforts should be done, avert damages or ailments, particularly at the conception of the design or planning stage, rank dangers and hazards and produce efficient measures and finally, meet up legal necessities where appropriate.