Aspects of risk assessment in land use planning: the case study of Tartu

Management of Natural Resources, Sustainable Development and Ecological Hazards III

2011

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This paper presents a comparative study of the national risk assessment outcomes of two different countries of the European Union: Estonia, as a socalled 'new member' and the UK as an 'old member'. The comparative survey was carried out on the basis of the National Summary of Emergency Risk Assessments of Estonia and the National Risk Register of Civil Emergencies of the UK. The features compared were requirements, methodologies, risk assessment process and performers, risk types and categories together with risk assessment outcomes as well as output documents' composition. Simultaneously parallels were drawn with local level emergency risk assessments. Although the risk types were defined diversely in the two countries, an indirect comparison was still accomplishable. For instance, the risk of pandemic human disease was assessed as one of the highest in both countries. On the grounds of our observations, the National Risk Register of the UK was comparatively more, an advising, guiding and directing document while the Estonian emergency risk assessment summaries were in a greater part of a summarizing character.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

National emergency risk assessments: comparative study of Estonia and the UK

Management of Natural Resources, Sustainable Development and Ecological Hazards III

2011

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“…In Estonia Tint et al have discussed the problems of major accident hazards on the basis of Tallinn city risk assessments [7]. Tammepuu et al studied the aspects of risk assessment in land use planning, based on Tartu's city risk assessment and engaging different emergency risk types [1].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore it is important for communities to be aware of these risks. For that purpose risk assessment is an essential part of civil protection [1]. In many European countries the usefulness of the further development of risk assessment in the field of civil protection and emergency preparedness is clearly recognized [2].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk assessment of the cities of Estonia and the UK: comparative study

WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment

Paasoja

et al. 2008

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This paper presents a comparative study of city risk assessment in Estonia, as a so-called 'new member' and in the UK as an 'old member' of the EU. The comparison of the outcomes was carried out on the basis of four strategically selected risk assessments of Estonian cities and the same number of British cities. The selected indicators of comparison were legislative requirements, provision and performance, methodologies, types of analysed risks, risk assessment outcomes on a wide scale, risk assessment results, usage of risk matrixes and also publication and availability.The risk assessments in both countries were required not only on a local community level, but on regional and state levels as well. In the UK the legal requirements and anchors in methodology were in general more clearly defined, which guarantees the similarity and better compatibility of the risk assessments of different cities and parishes. For example the division of risk matrix between risk rankings is precisely determined in British methodology, however in the Estonian, different interpretations are currently allowable. British legislation also sets concrete requirements for the publication of the community risk register, but in Estonia the availability of similar material depends on the decision and good will of the local government.The final conclusion is that the territorial risk assessment methodologies of different European countries cannot be overtaken one-for-one or converted. At the same time, British risk assessment methodology and organisation can undoubtedly serve as one of the examples in the process of the further development of territorial risk assessment methodology in Estonia and maybe also for other 'new members' of the European Union, as was previously expected.

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Emergency risk assessment: the Estonian approach

Journal of Risk Research

2013