Principles of Mitigating and Managing Human System Risks

Abstract

The security situation in a territory continuously evolves and, therefore, a new safety culture is formed that takes into account the actual knowledge and experience with interdependencies among public assets, including experience with extreme social crises. In dealing with disasters, historical development of human activities has included numerous preventive and mitigation measures applied according to legal rules, technical standards, norms and public instructions, response systems and ways of recovery. As a rule, these ensure protection against basic disasters and not to ‘calamities’ or random combinations of phenomena that may cause catastrophes. Problem solving the complex territory safety requires proactive, strategic risk management based on qualified data, methods, knowledge and good practices in their application. This paper summarizes the set of principles that ensures qualified decision-making for risk management, or ‘whole-of-life risk governance,’ directed at provision of human security and sustainable development. It addresses the key domains related to effective risk management.