3. The precautionary principle and best practice

The concept is a recent one. It is based on a book by Hans Jonas published in 1979 [5] , a sub-chapter of which deals with "progress with precaution". The Rio Declaration (1992) provides for the application of this principle by signatory states. The principle is now enshrined in French law (Law 95-101 of 2/2/95 [6] ): "The absence of certainty, given current scientific and technical knowledge, must not delay the adoption of effective and proportionate measures to prevent the risk of serious and irreversible damage to the environment at an economically acceptable cost". As human beings are part of the environment, any activity involving human risk falls within the scope of this principle. The consequences of this principle are manifold: on the organizational...