Why do people take risks?

Past experiences have taught us that taking risk is acceptable. We've also learned that risk-taking increases our chances of injury, and even though risk can be measured, a person's risk perception, or how we asses risk comes from personal judgments.

Most people do not judge the probability of risk very well even though risk measurement can include how serious you can be injured. So what are the odds or chances that you can be injured by a specific hazard like natural disaster, epidemic, or even driving our car?

Studies have shown that human perceptions of risk are not very accurate, and our judgments about risks are based upon several things:

• How familiar are we with a hazard
  (if we think we know a lot about a hazard, we often underestimate the degree of risk).
• Are we voluntarily interacting with a hazard
  (by voluntarily taking a risk, we usually underestimate the chances of being hurt).

Let us help you understand the human factors in risk taking so that you can:

• Recognize your own traits that increase risk (are you impatient in getting work done?)
• Realize when you need more training to do a job (risk taking behavior can be reduced with knowledge).
• Identify the odds that you could be injured while working.
• Understand the consequences of your own actions to reduce your risks.
• Acknowledge your risks, the probability of danger, and the personal consequences wich can result.

Learn more about how LC RISQ can help you