Risk Communication Guide for Mobile Phones and Base Stations

"The emphasis is on anticipating where people may have concerns and then using effective communication approaches to minimise the potential for heightened concerns in the community."

Produced by the Groupe Speciale Mobile Association (GSMA) and the Mobile & Wireless Forum (MWF), this resource is designed to provide practical guidance and support on good risk communications practice for people working in the mobile industry, especially those who are facing public concerns about radio signals. While it does not address social or other issues around mobile telecommunications, many of the communication principles will still apply.

The issue, as outlined in the guide, is that people may have read claims that there might be risks from long-term mobile phone use or that some people are more sensitive to radio signals. Mobile phone users may attribute their own symptoms to their mobile phone use. Parents may recognise the personal safety benefits for their children and also be concerned about possible health risks. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) has concluded that while self-reported headaches and other symptoms are real, there is no scientific basis to link the symptoms to exposure to radio signals. Furthermore, the WHO says that treatment should focus on medical management of the health symptoms and not on reducing exposure to radio signals.

Nonetheless, GSMA and MWF state that people working in the mobile industry need to improve their understanding of why people may be concerned and develop skills to respond to those concerns through consideration, anticipation, and effective management. This is the purpose of the resource, which shares strategies such as: "Local media will generally heighten or amplify concerns about an issue by reporting stories in a sensationalist way. Local communities trying to obstruct the power of a national company make an interesting story. It is important to work positively with the media to show them the real community benefits that come from improved mobile telecommunications and provide them with independent expert sources so they do not have to rely on the information provided by protestors or critics."

Along those lines, risk communication is described here as more effective when there is cooperation within the mobile industry, and where trusted scientists and public officials are involved. Effective risk communication also takes account of the prevailing social, political, and administrative traditions and regulatory frameworks in a country.

Contents include:

Introduction and Background
Risk and Risk Perception Factors - Why Are People Concerned?
Perceptions about Mobile Phones
Perceptions about Antenna Sites
Effective Risk Communication - ["In particular, effective risk communication emphasises the need to:

1. Build a working relationship as a trustworthy and reliable party.
2. Improve transparency to make the issues seem less frightening.
3. Provide stakeholders with trusted sources for information or get such third parties involved.
4. Emphasise the benefits associated with improved mobile communications.
5. Find ways of providing people with a sense of involvement in the project, however small, to reduce their sense of powerlessness."]

Developing a Risk Communication Process

• (I) Site Assessment to Understand Local Conditions
• (II) Anticipating Risk Perception
• (III) Choosing a Risk Communication Approach and Measures

Guidance on Risk Communication in Practice: Identifying and Understanding Stakeholders
Ten Golden Rules for Effective Risk Communication

1. Choose Words Carefully
2. Use Three Key Messages
3. Guarantee Compliance
4. Use Simple Language
5. Empathise
6. A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
7. Listen Actively
8. Timing
9. Appearance
10. Talking to Larger Groups of People

Conclusions
Further Reading
Appendix 1: The IARC [International Agency for Research on Cancer Classification] of RF-EMF [radio frequency electromagnetic fields]
Appendix 2: Risk Communication Approaches
Appendix 3: Additional Guidance for Developing Countries