A comparative analysis of risk assessment techniques from the risk management perspective

Abstract

During the last decade, a major concern for Romanian Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) professionals and scholars raised in relation to risk assessment methods and techniques. As well documented in literature, the risk assessment is the basic step in the occupational health and safety risk management process. Risk assessment can be achieved at different levels according to the purpose of the analysis, according to the information, data and resources available. The aim of this paper is to perform a critical – comparative analysis of various worldwide applied methods, in order to establish their feasibility for further studies in the field of electrical safety. The paper gives an accurate comparative presentation in quantitive and qualitative terms of deterministic, probabilistic and combined methods. Furthermore, a detailed description of failure mode, effects and criticality analysis (AMDEC) technique and a SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threat) analysis is performed. Conclusions are drawn and recommendations made, targeting the applicability of investigated methods for electrical safety activities from the risk management perspective.