Hosted and Organised by the French Agency for Food, Environment and Occupational Health & Safety and by the Center for the Sociology of Organizations.

Location

Paris, France

Even Dates

7-8 January 2013

About the Event

The use of the Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) in risk assessment and risk management organisations in Europe and North America was investigated within a wider research and development contract between ANSES and the Centre for the Sociology of Organizations (CNRS-Sciences Po) on the use of social sciences in the production of expertise on health safety issues. A survey was conducted by Cécile Wendling (CSO) within a selected group of 17 of ANSES’s counterpart organisations in five countries (United Kingdom, Netherlands, Germany, United States and Canada). The aims of the workshop were the following: - To present and discuss the results of the survey on “The uses of social sciences in public risk assessment and risk management organisations”. - To confront experiences in the use of social sciences based on country case studies. - To identify tools and methods that could be shared across national agencies.

 

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• Download the workshop abstracts
• Download the workshop proceedings

Presentations below

Hosted and organised by the U.K Food Standards Agency, the U.K. Health & Safety Executive and King's College.

Location

London, U.K

Event Dates

18-19 March 2014

About the Event

See the meeting page.

 

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Presentations below

Hosted by and at the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM).

Location

Bilthoven, Netherlands

Event Dates

June 18-19 2015

About the Event

In January 2013 the Paris Risk Group (PRG), a network of social scientists working in or with risk agencies on food, environment, public and occupational health and consumer safety across Europe and beyond, held its first workshop.

In 2015, the third annual workshop of the PRG will be held. It will be hosted by and at the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment on June 18th and 19th, 2015 inBilthoven, the Netherlands. It will gather about 45 participants from different countries (mainly EU) involved in risk assessment and/or risk management activities.

The overall theme of the workshop is ‘Evidence based innovation, the quality of information and its use in risk assessment and risk management’.

Innovation is considered an important tool for governments and institutions to drive economic growth, create jobs, build a green society and improve quality of life: we innovate because we can (technically possible) or have to (budgets down) or want to (ambitious aims). Risk agencies are called upon to provide scientific evidence regarding the consequences of innovation. In that context, social sciences, by providing additional types of knowledge, beyond the “natural sciences”, can make a specific contribution. Social sciences can offer insights on adapting the risk analysis process to the more complex, ambiguous and uncertain issues at stake with innovation. Social sciences can help to shed light on critical points of expert appraisal, the procedures for selecting and validating knowledge or the effects of disciplinary framing, thereby improving the transparency and the rigor of the assessments. Social sciences can provide a better understanding of the behaviour and the positioning of stakeholders. They also provide analysis of societal concerns surrounding environment and public health issues in relation to innovations considered, improving the relevance and the comprehensiveness of recommendations on regulatory measures, on their impacts and other solutions. Thereby, with ‘evidence based innovation’ we mean that the empirically founded contribution from the social sciences can improve the risk information and risk assessments carried out in the context of development of innovative technologies and new products put on the market.

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• Download the workshop list of participants
• Download the workshop proceedings

Presentations below

The aim of the Paris Risk Group annual workshops is to foster the use of social sciences in government agencies with responsibility for risk assessment and the consideration of social science evidence to inform risk management. The workshops help to share and extend knowledge, experiences and best practices in areas of common interest and to strengthen an international network of social scientists working in risk agencies.

2016 workshop

Fourth international workshop of social scientsits working for or with risk agencies

Hosted by the BfR - Federal Institute for Risk Assessment

June 02-03 2016, Berlin, Germany

For more details see the 2016 annual workshop page.

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2015 workshop

Third international workshop of social scientsits working for or with risk agencies

Hosted by the RIVM - Netherlands' National Institute for Public Health and the Environment

June 18-19 2015, Bilthoven, Netherlands

For more details see the 2015 annual workshop page.

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2014 workshop

Second international workshop of social scientists working for or with risk agencies

Hosted and organised by the U.K Food Standards Agency, the U.K. Health & Safety Executive and King's College.

18-19 March 2014, London, U.K.

For more details see the 2014 annual workshop page.  

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2013 workshop

First international workshop of social scientists working for or with risk agencies

Hosted and Ooganised by the French Agency for Food, Environment and Occupational Health & Safety and by the Center for the Sociology of Organizations.

7-8 January 2013, Paris, France.

For more details see the 2013 annual workshop page.