Risk Assessment: Tools, Techniques, and Their Applications

15.8 Conclusion

PRA can be a valuable tool in the identification, documentation, and management of risk. If developed and implemented properly, the techniques can help save costs, damages, and even lives. However, the utilization of PRA presupposes a certain level of consequence that some people find difficult to understand and accept. This condition can be even more pronounced when the person does not perceive a real benefit from the operation, while the operation creates a risk and the consequences are life threatening. An example is: a physician once told a patient while informing him of a diagnosis of cancer that it really did not matter that the probability of getting the cancer was only 1 in 15,000; he was the one.