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ALARP
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

ALARAstandsfor"aslowasreasonablyachievable",andisatermoftenusedinthemilieuofsafetycriticaland
safetyinvolvedsystems.TheALARAprincipleisthattheresidualriskshallbeaslowasreasonablyachievable.
IthasparticularconnotationsasaroutetoreducerisksSFAIRP(SoFarAsIsReasonablyPracticable)inUK
HealthandSafetylaw.ALARP(AsLowAsReasonablyPracticable)isoftenusedinAustralia[1]andUKand
referstosameprinciple.
ForarisktobeALARAitmustbepossibletodemonstratethatthecostinvolvedinreducingtheriskfurtherwould
begrosslydisproportionatetothebenefitgained.TheALARAprinciplearisesfromthefactthatinfinitetime,
effortandmoneycouldbespentintheattemptofreducingarisktozero.Itshouldnotbeunderstoodassimplya
quantitativemeasureofbenefitagainstdetriment.Itismoreabestcommonpracticeofjudgementofthebalanceof
riskandsocietalbenefit.

Contents
1 Factors
2 OrigininUKlaw
3 UseoutsidetheUK
3.1 Legalchallenge
4 Carrotdiagrams
5 Seealso
6 References
7 Externallinks

Factors
Inthiscontext,riskisthecombinationofthefrequency(likelihood)andtheconsequenceofaspecifiedhazardous
event.
Thefollowingfactorsarelikelytobeconsideredwhendecidingwhetherornotariskistolerable.
Healthandsafetyguidelines
Thespecification
Internationalstandardsandlaws
Suggestionsfromadvisorybodies
Comparisonwithsimilarhazardouseventsinotherindustries
AnotherfactorthatoftencomesintotheALARPprinciple,isthecostofassessingtheimprovementgainedinan
attemptedriskreduction.Inextremelycomplexsystems,thiscanbeveryhigh,andcouldbethelimitingfactorin
practicabilityofriskreduction,althoughaccordingtoHSEguidance,costaloneshouldneverbeajustificationfor
takingextrasafetyrisks.
DeterminingthatariskhasbeenreducedtoALARPinvolvesanassessmentoftherisktobeavoided,ofthe
sacrifice(inmoney,timeandtrouble)involvedintakingmeasurestoavoidthatrisk,andacomparisonofthetwo.
Thisisacostbenefitanalysis.
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OrigininUKlaw
ThetermALARParisesfromUKlegislation,particularlytheHealthandSafetyatWorketc.Act1974,which
requires"Provisionandmaintenanceofplantandsystemsofworkthatare,sofarasisreasonablypracticable,safe
andwithoutriskstohealth".ThephraseSoFarAsisReasonablyPracticable(SFARP)inthisandsimilarclausesis
interpretedasleadingtoarequirementthatrisksmustbereducedtoalevelthatisAsLowAsisReasonably
Practicable(ALARP).
ThekeyquestionindeterminingwhetherariskisALARPisthedefinitionofreasonablypracticable.Thisterm
hasbeenenshrinedintheUKcaselawsincethecaseofEdwardsv.NationalCoalBoardin1949.Therulingwas
thattheriskmustbesignificantinrelationtothesacrifice(intermsofmoney,timeortrouble)requiredtoavertit:
risksmustbeavertedunlessthereisagrossdisproportionbetweenthecostsandbenefitsofdoingso.[2]
IncludinggrossdisproportionmeansthatanALARPjudgementintheUKisnotasimplecostbenefitanalysis,but
isweightedtofavourcarryingoutthesafetyimprovement.However,thereisnobroadconsensusontheprecise
factorthatwouldbeappropriate.

UseoutsidetheUK
OutsidetheUKtheALARPprincipleisoftennotusedinsteadstandardsand'goodengineeringpractice'are
adheredto,andlegislationtendstorequireabsolutelevelsofsafety.
ThetermALARA,or"aslowasreasonablyachievable"isusedinterchangeablyintheUnitedStatesofAmerica,
almostexclusivelyinthefieldofradiationprotection.
WheretheALARPprincipleisused,itmaynothavethesameimplicationsasintheUK,as"reasonably
practicable"maybeinterpretedaccordingtothelocalculture,withoutintroducingtheconceptofgross
disproportionality.

Legalchallenge
AtwoyearlegalbattleintheEuropeanCourtofJusticeresultedintheSFAIRPprinciplebeingupheldon18
January2007.
TheEuropeanCommissionhadclaimedthattheSFAIRPwordingintheHealth&SafetyatWorkActdidnotfully
implementtherequirementsoftheFrameworkDirective.TheDirectivegivesemployersanabsoluteduty"to
ensurethesafetyandhealthofworkersineveryaspectrelatedtothework",whereastheActqualifiestheduty"So
FarAsisReasonablyPracticable".ThecourtdismissedtheactionandorderedtheCommissiontopaytheUK's
costs.[3][4]
Hadthecasebeenupheld,itwouldhavecalledintoquestiontheproportionateapproachtosafetyriskmanagement
embodiedintheALARPprinciple.

Carrotdiagrams
Theycanbeusedtomaprisks,byindicatinghigh(normallyunacceptable)risksattheupper/widerendandlow
(broadlyacceptable)risksatthelower/narrowerend.TheregioninbetweenissometimescalledtheALARP
region.However,thisismisleadingbecauseALARPreferstotheprincipleoftestingfurtherriskreductionagainst

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thecostofthisreductioneffort,regardlessof
tolerability,andappliestoallregions.Abetter
nameisthe'tolerableregion',becauserisksin
thisregioncansometimesbetolerated,ifitcan
beshownthatreasonablemitigationshavebeen
putinplace.

Seealso
Safetyintegritylevel

References
1.[1](https://www.nopsema.gov.au/assets/Guida
ncenotes/N04300GN0166
ALARP.pdf)CommonwealthOffshore
PetroleumandGreenhouseGasStorage
(Safety)Regulations2009[OPGGS(S)]
GuidanceNote
2.Edwardsv.NationalCoalBoard.(http://oxche
ps.new.ox.ac.uk/new/casebook/cases/Cases%2
0Chapter%2025/Edwards%20v%20National%
20Coal%20Board.doc)(1949)AllER743
(CA)
3.JudgementoftheCourt(http://eurlex.europa.
eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:62
005J0127:EN:HTML)onCaseC127/05
4.Pressrelease(http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/20
07/c07007.htm)bytheUKHealthandSafety
Executive

Externallinks

ALARPcarrotdiagram

UKHealthandSafetyExecutiveALARPGuidance(http://www.hse.gov.uk/risk/theory/alarp.htm)
UKHealthandSafetyExecutiveALARPCostBenefitAnalysis(http://www.hse.gov.uk/risk/theory/alarpche
ck.htm)
UKDefenceStandard0056SafetyManagementRequirements(http://www.dstan.mod.uk/data/00/056/0100
0400.pdf)
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