Perceptions of Danger, Risk Taking, and Outcomes in a Remote Community

On the surface, the severity of the Antarctic environment is sufficient to account for the injury rates that might occur there. However, it is argued that injury occurrence is the outcome of multiple factors. A number of such factors, both in the nature of work in the Antarctic and in the characteri...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environment and Behavior
Main Authors: Burns, Robin, Sullivan, Peter
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publications 2000
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/00139160021972423
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/00139160021972423
Description
Summary:On the surface, the severity of the Antarctic environment is sufficient to account for the injury rates that might occur there. However, it is argued that injury occurrence is the outcome of multiple factors. A number of such factors, both in the nature of work in the Antarctic and in the characteristics of the human beings who work there are reviewed. An area that has received little attention is individual risk perceptions. It is contended that risk perceptions need to be taken into account when assessing the contributing factors to individual risk taking, as measured by accidents that occur. The literature on risk perceptions is reviewed as a precursor to an empirical study of risk perceptions and injuries at an Antarctic station. The referent for expeditioner practice and home comparisons is Australia.