Risk Assessment and Management - European Training Programme (Risk ASSETs)

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Introduction

The European Commission has identified a need for suitably trained and experienced health risk assessors to work in the European Union (EU). Risk assessors are needed to conduct consistent high quality assessments of health risks in accordance with EU policies and legislation, and to serve on European Scientific Committees. In addition, Member States need to ensure that they have adequate expertise to assess health risks associated with chemical, biological and radiological hazards in order to ensure a high-level of public health protection.

The Risk ASSETs Project

The Risk Assessment and Management - European Training Programme (Risk ASSETs) project, which started in May 2009, aims to substantially improve health risk assessment training in Europe. In particular, the project will establish a structure to promote and facilitate risk assessment training initiatives that will ensure the availability of highly qualified health risk assessors throughout the EU. Specific attention will be directed towards the area of toxicology, exposure assessment to chemicals, environmental and human bio-monitoring, epidemiology, substances in consumer products and electromagnetic fields.

Project Objectives

Explore ways of promoting the participation of scientists and public health professionals in health risk assessment training
Understand the needs of stakeholders, public health and other scientists for health risk assessment training
Define core competencies for health risk assessors and develop a harmonised curriculum for health risk assessment training across Europe
Develop and pilot a foundation health risk assessment training course, and prepare course material for intermediate and advanced level training
Propose a structure to facilitate the administration and co-ordination of the training programme

Development of competencies for health risk assessors in Europe

The Risk ASSETs project involves developing competencies for health risk assessors in Europe. A consultation process was undertaken between August and October 2010 on proposed competencies for health risk assessors. A wide range of responses from across Europe were received and we are grateful to all those who submitted comments. The comments are currently being taken into consideration, alongside outputs from a recent workshop held in Oxford, UK (December 2010). A revised final set of competencies will be published in towards the end of the project.

Stakeholder involvement

The project will engage with a wide range of stakeholders to ensure that it is tailored to meet diverse needs within the EU. An Advisory Forum will be established consisting of representatives from industry, academia, non-governmental organisations, and a range of EU Member States to provide input into key stages of the project.

In addition, the project will work with a number of other projects, including the European Toxicology Risk Assessment Training (TRISK), Advanced International Training Courses in Health Risk Assessment (RA-COURSES), European Programme for Intervention Epidemiology Training (EPIET) and the European Health Risk Assessment Network on Electromagnetic Fields Exposure (EFHRAN).

Project Outputs

The project will propose a comprehensive health risk assessment training programme. This will provide a harmonised training scheme that meets the needs of the EU and individual public health and other scientists. It will propose a means for operating the course and recognising health risk assessment qualifications throughout Europe.