Applying ALARP in a fire safety analysis in an existing building

The ALARP-principle is a well-established theoretical concept for risk analysis. The article reflects on the challenge to establish a set of operational fire risk-acceptance criteria for an existing shopping centre. In the real world ALARP-process, risks were quantified and their related costs to avert fatalities and monetary losses was estimated. The ALARP-principle were used to define which actions are practicable and which are out of range. The project faced challenges in the documentation of the benefits derived from different fire safety means due to the complex nature of predicting the fire's Heat Release Rate and smoke production. In this situation using the ALARP-principle gave support for a combination of quantitative and qualitative risk informed decisions.