There is always an unexplored ethical dimension over and above the list of causes of major industrial accidents, be them human errors, organizational or technical failures. This results in a cascade of bad decisions being taken at the organizational, human and technical levels, which cause tragic accidents, often with loss of human life. However, no one wants these accidents to occur, and there are often very qualified people who work in these organizations. A myriad of legislation was born from these major industrial accidents, each law or regulation more complex than the last, but they do not seem to be sufficient to cure the outbreak of various errors. Perhaps the prescribed treatment is simply inappropriate or the dose is not well administered! To manage risks properly, it will not only be necessary to develop techniques but also to develop processes, at the personnel level as well as at the organizational level, which will take human nature into account. Appropriate mechanisms will also have to be set up to reconcile "public interest" and "risk management". It will thus be necessary to define, implement and improve a series of processes and most importantly, provide guidance to managers. It is necessary to continue improving the risk analysis methods, to continue training in the field of risk management for numerous stakeholders, to reinforce legislation on risk management and most importantly, to base risk management on ethical principles. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.