Law firm report considers risk from drones
Amazon has been given limited scope to test delivery operations using unmanned aircraft, or drones, and many others are scrambling to be granted approval for the technology, but there are multiple risks. Law firm Reed Smith has published a white paper considering the legal and risks involved in using drones. The firm’s New York managing director Douglas J. Wood says that drones offer great opportunities: “The myriad ways in which drones are being used to film, deliver, monitor, and touch our lives is truly transformative to the way we do business,” but he also warns that they could land you on the wrong side of the law: “Legal issues surrounding drones can be overlooked or ignored at the operator’s peril, especially as the law naturally lags behind how this new technology is regulated.” Mr Wood co-edited the report
Crowded Skies: Opportunities and Challenges in an Era of Drones which highlights some of the ancillary risks from the use of unmanned aircraft including intellectual property, insurance, and land use rights—to avoid risks that include copyright infringement, invasion of privacy, bodily injury, property damage, and trespassing violations.
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Deloitte: Manufacturers should change the way they handle risk management
Risk management in the manufacturing sector should be an “ongoing conversation” rather than an annual presentation. That’s a recommendation made in a new report by Deloitte in conjunction with the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation (MAPI). Among the findings of the study is that technology can play an important part in the risk management process. It also says that risk assessment should run through the whole organization. Cyber security is seen by companies as the biggest risk to IT operations while product design and innovation is the largest risk to the business over the next three years. There is also a recommendation that risk management would be better served by a dedicated committee rather than the almost universal practice of the board or audit committee being responsible.
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US territories most at risk from climate change
California’s drought and the severe snow that hit the Northeast earlier this year may grab the headlines but a report in the Wall Street Journal reminds us of often-overlooked areas at risk from climate change. Kate Gordon, vice president and director of the energy and climate program at Next Generation, says that the 16 US island territories are home to 4 million people, many of whom are US citizens. Gordon warns that while we often hear of the threat to US coastlines, these islands will be affected before that. She highlights Puerto Rico where coastlines are being eroded at a rate of 3.3 feet every year and the coast is home to 3.5 million people. She also warns that the manufacturing industry on which the island relies will be hit with increasing energy costs caused by climate change. In conclusion she says it is our “moral responsibility” to ensure that these island territories are prepared and resilient.
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