Risk is involved in the whole lifecycle of a structure: design, construction, utilization, and demolition. There is a close connection between reliability and risk. Contemporary building codes introduce consideration of reliability in structural design. Here, the concept of risk takes into account the level of consequences of a failure. Structural engineers, who are used to deterministic calculation procedures, are often unfamiliar with the uncertainties associated with risk analysis. An overview of the basic principles of risk management in civil engineering is presented in this paper.