Public and Environmental Health Act 2011
5Precautionary principle
Start here
Get a plain-English read of 5
Turn the raw legal text into a practical explanation grounded in Public and Environmental Health Act 2011.
5 Precautionary principle (1) If there is a serious public health risk, lack of full scientific certainty should not be used as a reason for postponing measures to prevent, control or abate the risk. (2) In the application of subsection (1), decision making should be guided by: (a) a careful evaluation to avoid, where practicable, serious harm to public health; and (b) an assessment of the consequences of the options available with regard to the risk of each consequence occurring.