The Alliance of Blood Operators (ABO) needed a coherent risk management framework to guide decision-making on the delivery of blood services by its member organizations, which would help produce consistent decision-making processes and outcomes across the different national jurisdictional and regulatory structures. The RBDM approach was meant to support a shift in risk decision-making in national blood services organizations from one focused on minimizing all risks to blood quality and supply, with little concern for costs, to a risk-based approach in which resources are allocated according to risk and the application of financial resources and management rigour is proportional to the risk they are addressing.

A large number of domestic and foreign animal diseases with zoonotic health impacts to humans must be managed carefully to prevent disease transmission and spread. Risk management decisions often involve the comparison of different types of risk and the cost-effectiveness of different control measures for reducing risk. This requires that different types of risk be assessed in a consistent manner to allow cross-comparisons. The use of disability adjusted life years (DALYs) as a measure of the burden of human disease from domestic and foreign animal pathogens was completed for several zoonoses in Canada.

In response to increasing public concern about the historical use of McIntyre Powder—an aluminum-based substance once administered to miners in Ontario to prevent silicosis—the client sought expert guidance on managing risk communication related to potential health implications. Widespread media coverage and advocacy had raised public awareness and intensified scrutiny, particularly about possible links between aluminum exposure and long-term respiratory and neurological conditions.

An independent regulatory organization responsible for oversight of Alberta’s safety codes system sought to strengthen its capacity for risk-based decision-making. The organization aimed to ensure that regulatory actions—particularly in the area of petroleum storage tanks—were guided by clear, evidence-based prioritization methods that protect public safety while making effective use of resources. The project began with…

To support more consistent and quantitative assessments of new micro-organisms under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, Health Canada's New Substances Program (NSP) sought to refine the tools and processes within its Microbial Risk Assessment Framework (MRAF). The NSP had previously collaborated with RSI to review and modernize the MRAF and develop a supporting computational tool. However, further work was required to validate the tool and ensure it aligned with current program needs and regulatory expectations.

To support the quality and defensibility of regulatory decision-making under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA), Health Canada engaged Risk Sciences International to coordinate an independent external peer review of the Draft Screening Assessment Report (DSAR) for Selected C3-C5 Alcohols, focusing specifically on tert-butanol (CAS RN 75-65-0). This group of substances had been prioritized for risk assessment based on potential human health concerns.

To enhance the oversight of cannabis production under its regulatory mandate, the Cannabis Directorate sought expert support in developing a risk-based decision-making framework tailored to its compliance and enforcement responsibilities. The directorate aimed to better assess and respond to non-conformance with Good Production Practices (GPP) as defined in the Cannabis Act and Regulations, using a data-driven approach.