AASTP-4 applies to risks associated with explosives. The underlying principles can also be applied to the management of other hazardous situations. Purpose AASTP-4 is in two parts. Part I is an overview designed for use by policy makers@ safety professionals@ and analysts. It supports the continued growth and utilization of risk-based methods. It is designed to assist in developing and using new applications and to provide examples of current international uses. Toward these purposes@ it: ? Provides guidance in the establishment of risk-based decision methods@ ? Describes existing risk-based methods in use by the participating nations@ ? Identifies common features of risk-based approaches@ so that assessments done by individual nations in multinational operations may be understood and@ if appropriate@ used by other countries. AASTP-4 is also intended to facilitate the specific development of improved support for making decisions on the safety of explosives and munitions activities especially those involving joint operations. Such as: ? To rank the severity of various quantity distance (Q-D) non-compliant situations@ ? To assess the benefit of different risk reduction options@ ? To support risk assessments needed to develop insensitive munitions@ ? To identify weak points in existing methods@ ? To establish means of exchanging results using different nation's models@ ? To contribute to solutions for operational problems (e.g. field storage). AASTP-4@ Part II is designed for the risk analyst and contains detailed algorithms for coordinating risk assessments.