Risk Acceptance Criteria Formulation in Furniture Industry: The Portuguese Reality

Abstract

The acceptance criteria are important to the decision on the risk, however, it is possible to recognize that there is a lack of guidelines to use in the acceptance criteria definition. Considering that previous publications concerning the acceptance criteria definition in the occupational area are scarce, this paper aims to analyze how risk acceptance criteria can be formulated, exemplifying with a specific case in a Portuguese furniture industry. It explores the problematic on the acceptance criteria and the used principles for its formulation. The metrics to be adopted were also analyzed. Faced with the lack of guidelines for the risk acceptance criteria formulation for traditional occupational accidents, the experience with major accident hazards may help to understand some features. The principle ALARP was seen as an interest approach to use in occupational accidents. The literature review allowed finding seven steps for the quantitative acceptance criteria formulation. These steps were applied on a small Portuguese furniture industry. The case study showed that the quantitative acceptance criteria formulation is not an easy process. The principle ALARP it was considered suitable to be applied. Regarding risk indexes or indicators, the LTI-rate was the one that was considered to be the more appropriate. The upper risk acceptance limits, defined for this company, were 0.450 and 0.225 for tolerability and acceptability, respectively. The manager and consultant considered the use for the quantitative acceptance criteria as an added value to support the risk decisions. This paper showed the importance of the risk acceptance criteria in risk decisions, and exemplified how that can be done. However, this work suggests that there is still much work to be done in this area, in order to get that the companies of this sector being able to define the acceptance criteria in an equity perspective. So, it is only the first step, needing to be continued and extended to other industries.