Safety and security target levels: Opportunities and challenges for risk management and risk communication

This paper reviews a selection of target levels for safety and security in order to identify their common properties. It is accompanied by a brief investigation of several key terms used in risk management. Risk management is used as an umbrella term for the various research areas dealing with multiple hazards, impacts types and measures for dealing with them. The paper draws upon examples and experience from the wider field of disaster risk research and civil protection. A concept which identifies the common properties and content of risk management goals in general is then devised. Normative implications and challenges in applying risk management goals and the use of terminology are discussed. Finally, two main future research areas are briefly outlined: the role and responsibility of the researcher or observer, and the ways of making use of risk management goals in risk communication. This paper provides fundamental information on examples of risk management goals, common properties and risk communication as compiled for and used by certain national authorities in civil protection in Germany. However, its findings may also be useful for fellow researchers within the disaster risk, climate change, vulnerability and resilience community, and for practitioners in the field of risk, and crisis or emergency management. The future applications of these findings will be useful, especially when developing risk management goals for specific user groups and different levels of analysis.

► Defining goals in risk management helps streamlining all risk management processes.
► Target levels of safety and security provide important risk management benchmarks.
► There exist common properties of goals and target levels across disciplines.
► Values and the role of the observer need to be included in future concepts.
► Risk communication between multiple stakeholders benefits from openly discussed goals.