This document provides an outline of crisis concepts and the principles that inform and support contemporary thinking on the circumstances and conditions under which crises can develop.

It specifies:

—     concepts and principles, governing crises;

—     the social-ecological system (SES) framework in which crises develop;

—     factors that contribute to crises;

—     the progression and evolution of a crisis;

—     a structure for classifying crises;

—     the relationship between issues, incidents, emergencies, disasters, and crises;

—     a crisis taxonomy for the systematic development of policies, strategies, and standards, relevant to crisis management (see Annex A).

This document does not provide guidance on how organizations can:

—     manage physiological or psychological aspects of human reactions to personal crises;

—     manage personal health or public health crisis affecting individuals, communities, or having broader impacts on society;

—     design, develop or implement crisis management programs or plans;

—     develop a strategic capability for crisis management;

—     apply crisis management techniques to specific crisis situations.

This document is applicable to all organizations. It can also be applied by standards users and standards writers and educators. It encourages a better understanding of crisis concepts and the interconnected characteristics of factors that contribute to crises through referencing the crisis controls and effects social-ecological system model. The application of the principles described in this document can encourage consistency in the use of crises related terms and definitions and complements other ISO standards for crisis management.