Читать книгу Cindynics, The Science of Danger - Guy Planchette - Страница 15

In October 1986, the specialized journal “Les Annales des Mines”⁴ devoted its entire issue to major technological risks. Five major chapters covered: risk assessment methods, the industry faced with major risks, prevention and regulation, preparation and management of crisis situations, society and major risk.

At the beginning of 1987, the French Association of Executives for Social and Economic Progress (Association Française de Cadre Dirigeants pour le Progrès Social et Économique, ACADI) chaired by Kervern, organized a series of meetings bringing together experts from different backgrounds: chemistry, nuclear, aeronautics, oil and so on. From these meetings, the idea was born to organize an international conference on the subject. ACADI was joined by the magazine “Industries et Techniques” and the insurer UAP. An organizing committee, bringing together the best French experts in risk management, worked hard for several months to explore this new scientific field. It was led by Michel Horps, one of the directors of Crédit Agricole, and Francine Londez, a specialist in the design of large technological meetings.

Thus, on December 7 and 8, 1987, 1475 people from 13 countries, representing 30 industrial sectors, 320 companies and 90 universities or research centers, met at UNESCO in Paris to compare their experiences and try to define a common policy.

About 100 high-level conference-debates show the real interest of the participants in what was beginning to be called “the science of danger”.

Seven commissions met to address:

 – progress in safety in large, complex systems (lessons learned from major industrial accidents, risk control in large companies, reliability/organization/systems-expertise/decision-making);

 – the human factor and safety (typology of human failures, tools and methods to integrate the human factor);

 – management of global environmental risks;

 – the preparation and coordination of the treatment of technological disasters;

 – progress in safety in diffuse systems (domestic and transportation risks, workplace accidents);

 – the economic and financial aspects of safety (prevention, insurance, European standardization);

 – the collective perception of risks and accidents.

At the closing session, a certain number of commitments were made. Among them, to give a name to this new discipline and to promote its teaching throughout Europe. An institute (Institut Européen des Cindyniques) created for this purpose was set up in Paris in January 1990.