Risk Methodologies for Technological Legacies NATO Science Series: IV: Earth and Environmental Sciences

The projected costs of cleaning up the contaminated sites that are the legacy of the Cold War - just those in the US alone - have resulted in a movement to risk-based decision making for setting priorities. Risk can only be effectively controlled by a proper balance of three central concepts: risk analysis, risk perception and risk management.

The relatively independent fields of risk analysis need drawing together in a single framework, identifying the reasoning underlying the seemingly disparate approaches and the gains to be had by bringing them together. Risk perception is the product of many factors in our lives, and cultural differences can have a significant impact on how we view risk and seek to control it.

Risk management involves the decision maker selecting among alternative options. The book here focuses on facility risk management and human-centred risk management. Detailed information is provided on all three of these concepts; further definition is given to facility-centred and human-centred approaches to risk analysis and management.

Part II of the book gives extensive inform ation on the legacies, risk perception, and tools for analyzing that risk. Part III presents detailed information on risk assessment programmes and methodologies, and Part IV provides details of future activities.