A computer-based system for risk management support

The scale and complexity of present day industrial operations involving hazardous substances are such that managers are faced with increasingly demanding decision problems. They must simultaneously consider technological, economic, environmental and sociopolitical factors. As a response to this problem a computer based decision support system is being developed to support risk management activities, with special emphasis given to hazardous chemicals. The IRIMS (Ispa Risk Management Support) system is an attempt to integrate a number of data bases, containing information relevant to risk management, with several existing simulation models which can be used to address problems of environmental assessment, risk analysis and system optimisation. The system is designed to be user friendly and results are displayed through high resolution colour graphics allowing the non-specialised user to obtain a ‘feel’ for the problem under investigation. The paper describes the current prototype system, which is geared to handle problems on a European scale, and plans for further developments which will allow more detailed studies on particular countries or regions.