Basic concepts in risk analysis and the decision-making process

This paper presents a discussion on the basic concepts behind engineering safety and proposes a general framework, which considers risk analysis as a fundamental tool for the decision-making process in engineering. A discussion on the nature of damage and a characterisation of failures, accidents and disasters is presented. Then, a brief discussion on the existing failure modelling alternatives and requirements is given followed by a critical review on existing definitions of concepts such as hazard, vulnerability and risk. New strategies for understanding, modelling and carrying out hazard, vulnerability and risk assessments are proposed. Finally a general framework for the decision making process based on risk analysis in presented.