Risk Communication

Risk communication requires the delivery of clear information about dangers and actionable guidance on how to manage potential risks.

Cadmus excels at risk communication and we have earned a reputation for effectively communicating a varietu of health and environmental risks and risk management strategies on topics such as radon, asthma triggers, environmental tobacco smoke, indoor contaminants, lead, and a broad range of drinking water contaminants.

We are expert at developing clear and easily understood messages and materials that tell the specific target audience what the risks are and steps they can take to manage them. We have developed multi-media risk communication materials, such as videos, brochures, and public service announcements, for a variety of audiences, including low-income and minority communities, non-English speaking communities, and specific industries and sectors at particular risk for dangerous environmental exposures.

We also train federal, state, and local officials, private and non-profit sector leaders to develop effective communication plans and messages for health, safety, and environmental risks and support media and outreach campaigns to manage risk emergencies. For example, we helped the District of Columbia’s Water and Sewer Authority plan and execute a risk communication campaign to reach the entire city when elevated levels of lead were found in the drinking water.

A prime example of our risk communication work is the Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Kit that we helped the U.S. EPA develop. The Kit includes:

• Clear and simple background information on factors that affect air quality in schools
• Helpful checklists targeted to various school staff to help them identify and respond to problems
• A reference guide to indoor environmental hazards and solutions
• Videos that demonstrate how to conduct a comprehensive school walkthrough to indentify common problems and their sources
• A visual road map that shows each step in the process of setting up an effective indoor air quality committee to manage school health and safety over time

The kit is an effective, yet simple, way to communicate risk to affected persons and more than 30,000 schools nationwide have used the Kit as a resource.