An application of the relevance matrix methodology in occupational risk evaluation

This paper presents an application of the Relevance Matrix Methodology in the fields of health and safety at work. This application addresses organizational risk management at the workplace. The Relevance Matrix Methodology is applied to promote risk analysis and management. Its aim is risk prioritization through the determination of an organization´s critical risks in various sectors. Software was developed to help and facilitate the methodological application as well as to develop simulations. We simulate various weights for several factors resulting in different levels of prioritization when using the results. A case study of this application was developed using real data from a chemical factory. We explore several possibilities for these simulations. Traditional values for the factors used do not guarantee the best prioritization. Results found show the importance of appropriate Risk Ranking and the correct determination of factors and weights used in the Relevance Matrix.