Geotechnical Risk and Safety V contains contributions presented at the 5th International Symposium on Geotechnical Safety and Risk (5th ISGSR, Rotterdam, 13-16 October 2015) which was organized under the auspices of the Geotechnical Safety Network (GEOSNet) and the following technical committees of the of the International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSGME)@en

Flood risk management policy across the European Union is changing, partly in response to the EU Floods Directive and partly because of new scientific approaches and research findings. It involves a move towards comprehensive flood risk management, which requires bringing the following fields/domains closer together: the natural sciences, social sciences and arts; science, policy and practice; and engineering, spatial planning and governance. Naturally, this involves preventive fl ood risk management and flood event management, as well as learning from the past and considering future global change.@en

The ground is one of the most highly variable of engineering materials. It is therefore not surprising that geotechnical designs depend on local site conditions and local engineering experience. Engineering practices, relating to investigation and design methods (site understanding) and to safety levels acceptable to society, will therefore vary between different regions. The challenge in geotechnical engineering is to make use of worldwide geotechnical experience, established over many years, to aid in the development and harmonization of geotechnical design codes. Given the significant uncertainties involved, empiricism and engineering judgment will undoubtedly always be an essential element of geotechnical design. However, rigorous and scientific approaches based on probability theory are finding increased attention in the calibration of modern geotechnical codes of practice and these codes can and should be used to aid fundamental engineering judgment. Containing contributions on Code Implementation, Code Application and Code Development, this book provides a single resource that code developers, practitioners, and researchers can use to understand the different choices made by national code developers around the world. Furthermore, the book highlights some of the key challenges faced worldwide concerning the ongoing process of harmonizing geotechnical design code specifications. @en