ALARPGrundsatzes

ALARP principle, sometimes written as ALARP-Grundsatz in German usage, stands for "as low as reasonably practicable." It is a core concept in risk management and safety engineering. The principle requires that the level of residual risk be reduced as far as reasonably practicable, such that the cost, effort, and time required for further reductions would be grossly disproportionate to the safety benefit gained.

Origins and uses: The concept emerged in UK health and safety regulation and guidance and has since been adopted in many jurisdictions and industries, including oil and gas, chemicals, mining, rail, and nuclear. It is used to structure risk assessments, safety cases, and demonstrations of what level of risk is accepted.

Application: In practice, organizations identify hazards, assess risk, and implement controls to reduce risk. After applying reasonably practicable measures, residual risk is reassessed. If additional mitigations would yield marginal safety gains at a cost that is grossly disproportionate to the gain, the risk level is considered ALARP. Documentation, or an ALARP demonstration, is often required to justify accepting residual risk.

Criticism and nuance: The boundary between acceptable and unacceptable risk under ALARP can be subjective, depending on context, discount rates, and stakeholder values. While ALARP does not require zero risk, it does require a transparent justification for the residual risk and the choices made in the decision process.