Working group – Covid-19 and risk management

The Covid-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed society’s habits. For the first time in its history, half of humanity was put under house arrest by a virus. Or, more precisely, by the desire of world leaders to limit the health consequences of the virus. This historic shift in values has caused considerable upheaval in lifestyles and, of course, in economies, the consequences of which remain to be seen.

There have been numerous impacts on risk management. Notably, the conditions for implementing principles and daily practices have become very complex. From one day to the next, new decisions have to be made at all levels of the company, with activities being modified, postponed or abandoned.

An unprecedented level of uncertainty now surrounds the future. This sudden and brutal interruption to daily life has destabilized a risk management model that is deeply founded on anticipation and predetermination. Industrial safety management needs to be rethought – and, going further, it seems clear that a new management regime needs to be invented, or at least clarified.