**Step 4. Identify probable impacts (scoping)**

**•** develop appropriate and effective mitigation mechanisms to hazards which harness

SIA theory accepts that social, economic and biophysical impacts are interconnected and that change in any one of these domains will lead to changes in the others. Seen in this way, SIA has clear linkages to EIA and other forms of ex-ante impact assessment, as well as with vulnerability and sustainable livelihoods analysis. Guidance on SIA makes it clear that good

However, while hazards and risk are important features of the SIA process, SIA is not specifically a risk assessment but a means of understanding and measuring human responses

Therefore, SIA is not commonly used *by itself* as a method of analysing hazard risks generated by a project or external to it. It is more common for a formal risk analysis or a health impact assessment (see Box 2) to be undertaken, either to complement the SIA or within a broader

According to the Centre for Good Governance (2006), a conventional SIA process comprises the following ten steps, which are set out below with comments about how hazards and related

The first step is to develop an effective plan to involve the public. This requires identifying and working with all potentially affected groups. It should explicitly include those who might be exposed to greater (or lesser) hazard risk as a result of the project. Stakeholder engagement is vital to SIA and should take place throughout the assessment. This should involve genuine

The proposed action or policy change (and alternative approaches, if appropriate) is described in enough detail to begin to identify the data requirements for an SIA and design the frame‐ work for assessment. Potentially key types of social impact, including those related to disasters, should be identified and plans made to obtain relevant data. This step is equivalent to the

Relevant data on the geographical and human environments related to the project are collected and reviewed through a baseline study or community profile. This study could cover rela‐ tionships between people and their biophysical environment (e.g., ecological setting, aspects of the environment seen as resources or problems, patterns of resource use) and culture, attitudes and social–psychological conditions (e.g., risk perception, psychological coping).

community resources and recognize community reactions to events.

**6. Integrating hazard and disaster risk into the SIA process**

**Step 3. Describe relevant human environment and zones of influence**

practice in project design and implementation is risk-averse.

to situations that may be risky or threatening.

disaster risks can be incorporated into the process. **Step 1. Develop public involvement programme**

participation in the process, not merely consultation.

**Step 2. Describe proposed action and alternatives**

EIA of which the SIA is part.

270 Environmental Change and Sustainability

screening stage in an EIA.

This stage seeks to identify the full range of possible social impacts (including those perceived by affected groups). Early, comprehensive and systematic screening can identify potential hazards and associated risks that might affect the project and communities at any stage in the project cycle, as well as the impact the project itself might have on disaster risk. It is important that the views of all affected people, including those vulnerable to hazards, are taken into account.
