Papers

Risk Acceptance Criteria or "How Safe is Safe Enough?"

by John B. Cornwell and Mark M. Meyer

 

Abstract

Much of the early work in the area of quantitative risk analysis and risk acceptance was instigated by the introduction of nuclear power. As electric utilities were proposing to build nuclear plants, the public began asking "Are they safe?" In response to this question, the industry had to answer several fundamental ques- tions.

1. What can go wrong?
2. How often can it go wrong?
3. Do the benefits of nuclear power outweigh the risks, or in other words "How safe is safe enough?"

During the 1960s, when these questions were being asked, there were no established methods to determine the answers.

This paper addresses what certain countries consider acceptable and unacceptable risk and how quantitative risk analysis can help in this determination.

PDF copy here