Public Relations Review, 21(3):211-224 Copyright 8 1995 by JAI Press Inc. ISSN: 0363-8111 All rights of reproduction in any form reserved. zyxwvutsr Working with Technical Experts in zyxwvutsrqponml Christine Diana Gay and Robert L. Heath Infrastructure the Risk Management ABSTRACT: One daunting challenge to public relations practitioners is the need to help foster communication between sources of industrial risk and persons who work and live in communities where the source of risk is located. Public relations practitioners often cannot serve as primary sources of information but must assist others in this endeavor. One potential group of technical experts, industrial hygienists, was studied to determine the role they believe they play in this process. Results indicate that hygienists who are employed in the industry show significant differences from non-employees, especially in terms of level of cognitive involvement, uncertainty, use of business as sources of information, perceived knowledge of risks, and confidence in industry’s willingness to exert self- control to abate risks. Of related importance is the prevalence of communication networks technical experts use to obtain and vet information regarding risks. Christine Diana Gay is a public relations specialist at Creative Marketing Services, Inc., Houston. Robert Heath is a professor, School of Communication, University of Houston. People who live near a chemical plant often voice concern about its operations, desire that those operations be safer, and accommodate to what they believe are tolerable risks in exchange for taxes, wages, and business Fall 1995 211