Technical product risk assessment: Standards, integration in the erm model and uncertainty modeling

Abstract

European Union has accomplished, through introducing New Approach to technical harmonization and standardization, a breakthrough in the field of technical products safety and in assessing their conformity, in such a manner that it integrated products safety requirements into the process of products development. This is achieved by quantifying risk levels with the aim of determining the scope of the required safety measures and systems. The theory of probability is used as a tool for modeling uncertainties in the assessment of that risk. In the last forty years are developed new mathematical theories have proven to be better at modeling uncertainty when we have not enough data about uncertainty events which is usually the case in product development. Bayesian networks based on modeling of subjective probability and Evidence networks based on Dempster-Shafer theory of belief functions proved to be an excellent tool for modeling uncertainty when we do not have enough information about all events aspect.