Geotechnical Safety and Risk IV contains the contributions presented at the 4th International Symposium on Geotechnical Safety and Risk (4th ISGSR, Hong Kong, 4-6 December 2013), which was organised under the auspices of the Geotechnical Safety Network (GEOSNet), TC304 on Engineering Practice of Risk Assessment and Management and TC205 on Safety and Serviceability in Geotechnical Design of the International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE). Geotechnical Safety and Risk IV covers six themes: (1) Geotechnical uncertainty and variability(2) Geohazards such as landslides, earthquakes and climate changes(3) Reliability and risk analysis(4) Reliability-based design and limit-state design in geotechnical engineering(5) Risk assessment and management in geotechnical engineering and infrastructural projects, and(6) Practical applications. Geotechnical Safety and Risk IV is an excellent source of reference on the latest developments and practices of geotechnical risk and safety, and will proof to be invaluable for civil engineers (particularly geotechnical engineers), geologists, and natural hazards reduction agencies.ISGSR IV is a continuation of a series of symposiums and workshops on geotechnical risk and reliability, starting with LSD2000 (Melbourne, Australia), IWS2002 (Tokyo and Kamakura, Japan), LSD2003 (Cambridge, USA), Georisk2004 (Bangalore, India), Taipei2006 (Taipei, Taiwan), 1st ISGSR (Shanghai, China, 2007), 2nd ISGSR (Gifu, Japan, 2009) and 3rd ISGSR (Munich, Germany, 2011).