Companies generally learn about how risk management has worked, or not, by looking at their past experiences and those of peer companies, but they can also learn a ton from how risk is dealt with in other environments.
I recently read the proofs of a soon-to-be-published book describing harrowing experiences in a major construction project, involving not only economic challenges, but also life and death outcomes. Trapped Under the Sea, by Neil Swidey, outlines the inherent dangers of building a sophisticated waste treatment plant on an island in the Boston Harbor. The book centers on a team of men who journey ten miles under the sea in a tunnel devoid of light and air, with perils at every turn.
