Risk assessment from a civil protection perspective
The joint civil protection system in Switzerland is a response to fundamental change in the global security policy situation. The threat to Switzerland from power-political conflicts has greatly diminished, while natural and man-made disasters and emergencies are on the increase. There was a systematic and comparative investigation of all selected hazards according to a uniform two-stage procedure: risk analysis and risk valuation. The assessed risks within the range of hazards were compared.
Katarisk investigated hazards and developments, which may require civil protection intervention. Hazards due to a breakdown in the technical systems (insofar as they are not triggered by natural hazards), economic developments, crime, environmental pollution, climate change, animal deceases, violence below the threshold of war (e.g. terrorism) and armed conflict were not subject to investigation.
The KATARISK study was preceded in 1995 by the KATANOS study on “Catastrophes and emergencies in Switzerland”, which was the first such study to document a comparative overview of risks relevant to civil protection in Switzerland.