Decision making, taking action

Under the TSCA, a new chemical is a chemical substance that is not already included on the TSCA Inventory, and is intended to be used for a commercial purpose (other than as a drug or pesticide) in the USA. Section 5 of the TSCA requires manufacturers or importers of a new chemical to notify the EPA (i.e., submit a premanufacture notification, PMN) before manufacturing or importing the chemical. The EPA has only 90 days (extendable to 180 days under certain circumstances) from the time of receipt of the notification to determine if an unreasonable risk may or will be presented by any aspect of the new industrial chemical, and make risk management decisions and take action to control any unreasonable risks posed by the chemical [17]. If after 90 days the submitter of a new chemical is not notified by the EPA of any regulatory restrictions or test requirements, they can legally market or import the chemical. 

Procedures and inspections cannot be counted as IPLs. They do not have the ability to detect the initiating event, cannot make a decision to take action, and cannot take action to prevent the consequence. Procedures and inspections do, however, affect the probability of failure of an IPL. 

Empowerment—A condition whereby employees have the authority to make decisions and take action in their work areas without prior approval. For example, an operator can stop a production process if a problem is detected, or a customer service representative can send out a replacement product if a customer calls with a problem. 

Authority is in simple terms the right to take actions and make decisions. In the management context it constitutes a form of influence and a right to take action, to direct and coordinate the actions of others, and to use discretion in the position occupied by an individual, rather than in the individual themselves. The delegation of authority permits decisions to be made more rapidly by those who are in more direct contact with the problem. 

Risk-based decision making and risk-based corrective action arc decision making processes for assessing and responding to a health hazard. The processes take into account effects on human healdi and the enviroiunent, inasmuch as chemical releases vaiy greatly in terms of complexity, physical and chemical characteristics, and in the risk that they may pose. Risk-based corrective action (RBCA) was initially designed by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) to assess petroleum releases, but tlie process may be tailored for use with any hazard. 

Even in the case of a no-action decision, the fault and the decision to take no action should be documented. The logic of the decision-making should be documented, along with any facts and reference documents. 

Other agencies and other concerned individuals may take on the tasks of the parents. Outside agencies may assume responsibility for decision-making. Other consequences of drug use can bring unwanted inspection of the family s lifestyle, for example, if the drug user is arrested, a social worker may have to take action to protect the child. 

The theory of decision making under risk tells people to maximize expected utility. In cases like the one 1 have just discussed, this means the same as utility averaged over many periods. The theory has been extended, however, to cover choice situations that do not repeal themselves day after day or year after year. In that case the decision maker is asked to rely on his "subjective probabilities" or, in less solemn language, on his informed hunches. The utility of each possible outcome of an action is weighted by the estimated probability of that outcome, to yield the expected utility of the action. The theory tells us to take the action that has associated with it the highest expected utility. In the next chapter 1 state my reasons for being skeptical about this extension of the theory. 

On a more philosophical or meta-physical level, one may suspect that free will and consciousness may have some quantum mechanical origin rooted in the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. Perhaps at some neurological level an electron at a synapse exists in a superposition of two or more states that ultimately results in someone making some sort of decision. Should I run for President, or not Should I get married, or not . Perhaps there are two states with eigenvalues yes or no that asymptotically lead to very different actions. Does quantum theory enter into our decision making process Perhaps the brain itself acts as some sort of quantum computer taking... 

In many cases, we must take action and make decisions prior to regulations being issued which deal with risk in specific areas. By necessity then, we need and use a system that reflects our corporate environmental goals and also allows guiding the... 

An equally intensive reconciliation of opinions is essential in order to understand the complex correlations involved, and to be able to make acceptable decisions and take appropriate actions. 

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