5. The principle of pre-emptive action, a new concept

Precaution, the indispensable complement to prevention

The precautionary principle and new regulatory provisions call for new approaches in the conduct of business, and the objective of product and installation safety is a quality criterion, as is the safety/price ratio.

Prevention is based on a causal approach. It consists in adopting measures or behavior in the face of a real or inferred danger, i.e. a risk whose effects and the mechanism by which it manifests itself are known. Precaution consists in adopting measures in the face of a supposed or induced danger.

The concept of preventive action is well known to quality specialists. It involves "eliminating the causes of potential non-conformities to prevent them from occurring". Posing the problem in terms of potential causes is akin to...