Innovative solutions for safety and risk management 
"We must, above all, shift from a culture of reaction to a culture of prevention. Prevention is not only more humane than cure, it is also much cheaper'."
- Kofi Annan, ex-Secretary-General of the United Nations, in his opening speech for the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction
Effective risk management through a holistic approach to safety
Gaia’s cost effective and practical solutions for safety and risk management range from overall management of our clients’ entire risk portfolio to specific, targeted evaluations, tailored tools for specific problems or long term management plans.
Since risk is cross-sectoral, cross-hierarchical, cross-spatial and cross-temporal, we adopt a holistic approach to safety and risk. Our work covers all areas of risk management from detailed risk analysis to mapping the client’s present level of risk knowledge and safety culture. By identifying and quantifying hazards, a rational estimation of risk levels and consequent risk prioritisation will support informed decision making and cost effective safety measure implementation. Gaia successfully uses well-known risk analysis and management methods but we also assist our clients to develop new methods, tools and modelling solutions to identify, quantify, prioritise and control risks and their costs. Our tailor made practical solutions for daily risk management also help in developing joint safety plans for businesses in small municipalities, designing demanding large scale emergency exercises and developing safety through improved risk communication.
Gaia’s core areas of expertise include chemical risk, energy and energy production risk, infrastructure and climate change. In chemical risk management, for example, Gaia has successfully worked with all levels from designing national strategies at the central government level to in-depth assessments of risks and exposure scenarios at the substance level. We design practical tools for evaluating risks and costs associated with using chemicals for particular industrial operations. Gaia’s climate management solutions include Climate-CIVA (climate induced vulnerability assessment) - a decision-making tool that allows systematic risk mapping, impact assessment and cost-benefit evaluation to meet and manage new risks arising from the climate change.
Cost-efficiency and business advantage from preparedness
Our modern society is ever more dependent on information technology and communication networks, global trade and a complex utility infrastructure. This has increased both the need for and importance of systematic risk assessment and management in both the public and private sector.
Working with Gaia helps organisations to identify critical risks, develop and implement a comprehensive yet practical safety management system, understand the financial value of identified uncertainties and risks, and to make a cost-benefit analysis of risk management measures. The results are cost-effective, pragmatic and easy-to-implement solutions to enhance safety. By combining cost and safety enhancement evaluations our clients can go beyond plain risk assessments, optimise the management of their risk portfolio and set pragmatic and realistic targets for daily work.
Multi-disciplinary expertise on risk assessment and risk management
Gaia provides solutions for all areas of risk management, but our core expertise is in meeting complex challenges such as climate change and its implications to organisations, and the connection between health, environment, societal risk and costs.
Gaia provides its clients with profound and multi-disciplinary expertise on risk management and a holistic approach to safety issues. We have an extensive experience of working with public sector clients from the supranational to national and local level. Our private sector clients include large global corporations and small local businesses. A specific strength and commonly occurring theme in our public sector work has been to find and combine the common interests of public and private sector organisations for the enhancement of societal, organisational and individual safety. Our methods of participatory and multi-stakeholder processes help our clients to find new insights to risk management.
