Risk is the product of consequence and probability. However, public perception of risk is usually focused on the consequence of a dreaded event regardless of probability. Geo-professionals encounter this when attempting to explain the risks of a proposed geosphere project. Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) includes two tools, Event Tree Analysis and Fault Tree Analysis, which are well-suited for analyzing and explaining risk to an ill-informed public. Both tools support a systematic approach to identifying and linking possible conditions or events that define the path to the potential consequence, and both tools are conducive to graphically illustrating these steps. When the highest probability conditions are identified, resources and analysis can be concentrated on these, enabling the geo-professional to better understand risks and educate the public about the probability of the dreaded consequences of the project, about the measures that are taken to reduce that probability, and about the risk that remains.
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