- Author
- Bukowski, R. W.
- Title
- Overview of Fire Hazard and Fire Risk Assessment in Regulation.
- Coporate
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
- Journal
- ASHRAE Transactions: Symposia, Vol. 112, No. 1, 387-393, 2006
- Report
- CH-06-3-2,
- Book or Conf
- Winter Meeting, 2006, Chicago, IL, 2006
- Keywords
- regulations | fire risk assessment | fire hazard | fire risks | hazard assessment | fire models | fire growth | smoke movement | fire detection | fire departments | risks
- Identifiers
- areas of application; available tools; data needs for risk; data needs for hazard; risk-based regulation; relative risk; absolute risk; risk to life; expressing risk; risk of financial loss; estimating risk; hazard-based regulation
- Abstract
- Fire hazard and fire risk assessment has gained popularity in assessing the performance of alternative approaches to prescriptive regulations and in justification of proposed changes to regulations and referenced standards. While risk is the preferred methodology, often the probabilities needed are not available and cannot be estimated, resulting in a default to hazard assessment. In other cases society is hazard averse, and hazard assessment is the preferable approach. This paper will provide an overview of fire hazard and fire risk assessment methodologies used in regulatory systems and the tools available for conducting them. Examples of regulatory applications drawn from buildings, transportation, and nuclear safety will be provided.