Decirisk Standard Scale

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It is not practical, nor is it important, for the public to be able to convert from decirisk to probability. You can use our calculator to work out the decirisk if you know the probability.
Since most people do not understand probability, decirisk has far more meaning and will be the main conceptual tool of risk comparison.

The important point is that the bigger the decirisk, the bigger the actual risk. Understanding decirisk is a little like understanding a percentage. It is a matter of getting a feeling for it.

Therefore a standard scale of decirisks should be presented for comparison.
The following decirisks have been rounded to the nearest whole number.

Event	Decirisk
Dying at some point in life	10
Dying in UK during the next 10 years	9
Dying in UK during this year at any age	8
Dying in UK during this year aged 40	7
Dying in UK during this year due to road accident	6
Being murdered in UK during this year	5
Increased chance of dying this year due to smoking 1.4 cigarettes	4
Dying in UK during this year by lightening strike	3
Dying in UK during this year from measles	2
Dying during your next breath	1
Dying before you can say ‘Jack Robinson’	0
Dying before you can blink	-1

Source: COMMUNICATING ABOUT RISKS TO PUBLIC HEALTH: Pointers to Good Practice, EOR Division, Dept of Health.

Other Decirisk pages on the web site

Introduction to Decirisk

The Need for Decirisk

Decirisk Calculator

Meaning of Decirisk

Useful Links

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