EP 1110-1-24
15 Dec 00
effective, educational efforts need to be continual so that people do not forget or become
complacent about the hazards associated with OE, as well as to inform newcomers.
(1) Strengths and Limitations of Formal Education Programs. Seminars and training
programs may be given to educate various segments of the local community. This may include
informational seminars for schools, parent-teacher associations, local clubs, etc. and more formal
training for local government and regulatory personnel, public safety personnel such as the local
police and fire departments, emergency response teams, and local construction and development
companies. These programs require time and money to prepare as well as cooperation from local
groups to schedule the sessions. Formal educational programs should be repeated on a regular
basis so that people do not forget or become complacent about the hazards associated with OE,
as well as to reach newcomers to the area. Although these programs can be very effective at
informing the public about potential dangers and how to avoid them, not all members of a
community will attend these meetings. Therefore, additional institutional controls may be
necessary at a site in order to provide sufficient risk reduction.
b. Public Notices. The local community can also be educated through the implementation
of a wide-ranging public notice campaign that may include mass mailings of brochures, public
service announcements on local radio or television stations, or periodic notices in local
newspapers. This type of educational control will also serve to educate newcomers and visitors
to the area. One method that has been used at sites with a high public turn-over is to notify any
new people to the area once they have contacted the local utility to start a new service. Once the
request for the new service has been received by the utility company, they may include in their
initial mailing to the new customer a brochure outlining the site specific hazards and what should
be done in the event of an emergency. Such programs have been successfully used by power
companies that have nuclear power plants in areas that are highly developed.
(1) Strengths and Limitations of Public Notices. Public notices have the advantage of
reaching a wide audience without requiring much effort on the part of the public (i.e., they do not
have to take the initiative to attend a meeting to receive the information). Public notices may
take the form of mass mailings, public service announcements on radio and television, and/or
periodic notices in local newspapers. Recurring notices have the advantage of reaching
newcomers or visitors to an area in addition to reminding long-time residents. A public notice
campaign would require both initial and ongoing funding and administration. Using an existing
system that is already in place can minimize the required funding and administration. An
example of this would be providing recurring information in local utility bills.
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