Risk management in the Arctic

Carole Nash boss David Newman, preparing to walk to the Artic, has blogged on his personal risk assessment for the trip.

His biggest risk is open water, which would cut his body temperature making it hard to warm up enough to survive.

The cold itself is another risk, with temperatures in the warmth of the tent expected to be as low as minus 25C. In a previous posting he details some of the special kit he has bought to keep himself warm.

Heavy calibre rifles

Polar bears come next on the insurance man’s list of perils. “They are highly effective killing machines, combining great speed and strength with precisely no fear of humans,” he writes. The risk management solution is “heavy calibre rifles loaded with specialist high-energy ammunition.”

And if any in the party do fall ill, a rescue team would take four days to reach them.