ABSTRACT
The first widely held tacit assumption is that risks can be treated as though they were concrete physical entities that can be precisely defined and unambiguously measured in objective terms. That is to say, risks and their assessment can be considered to be value free and neutral. This notion is, to say the least, contentious, with Otway & Pahner (1980:157) observing that in individuals:
The perception of risks is a crucial factor in forming attitudes; obviously people respond to a threatening situation based upon what they perceive it to be.
