Ash

When risk management fails us we tend to resort to ‘acts of God’ as a get out clause. When we are grounded by events we could not have dreamed of, we inevitably become fatalistic about consequences.

Where we choose to focus our investment in buildings is also a reflection of our perceptions of risk. Implicitly or otherwise we balance unlikely consequences against likely disruption. We also need to balance outcomes against opportunity cost – what else could we have spend this money on and would it have produced a better, safer solution for more people.

This is easier said than done in the regulatory and litigious environment in which we all have to make difficult decisions. Protecting lives from danger is not an alternative to changing lives for the better – but it sometimes seems that way.