United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission - Protecting People and the Environment

Risk

The combined answer to three questions that consider (1) what can go wrong, (2) how likely it is, and (3) what its consequences might be. These three questions allow the NRC to understand likely outcomes, sensitivities, areas of importance, system interactions, and areas of uncertainty, which can be used to identify risk-significant scenarios. For additional detail, see Risk Assessment in Regulation and the Fact Sheet on Nuclear Reactor Risk.

Page Last Reviewed/Updated Monday, December 10, 2012