What does ALARP stand for and how does it guide risk decisions?

• A. As Low As Reasonably Practicable; ensure risk reduction is proportionate to effort and cost, with justification for remaining risk.
• B. As Low As Readily Possible; ensure risk reduction regardless of cost.
• C. All risks must be eliminated.
• D. Only applies to safety-critical hazards.

Answer: (A)

ALARP stands for As Low As Reasonably Practicable. It guides risk decisions by requiring that safety measures be implemented to reduce risk to a level that is as low as reasonably achievable, while balancing the effort, cost, time, and trouble required to achieve further reductions. Any remaining risk must be justified, showing that additional reductions would require a sacrifice that is disproportionate to the benefit gained.

This isn’t about eliminating every hazard or ignoring cost. It’s about a prudent trade-off: keep reducing risk as long as the effort and cost to push it further are not grossly disproportionate to the improvement in safety. It also isn’t limited to safety-critical hazards; the principle applies broadly across risk management.

The other options misstate the concept: one suggests reducing risk regardless of cost, another implies all risks must be eliminated, and another confines ALARP to only certain hazards.