Target Reliability Levels Based on Societal, Economic and Environmental Consequences of Structural Failure
- Target reliability levels are derived by optimizing initial structural costs and considering three major types of potential consequences of structural failure: a) direct and indirect economic losses, b) societal consequences resulting from fatalities and injuries, and c) environmental impacts. The guidance on how to e stimate and combine these consequences is provided; societal consequences are expressed using the Life Quality Index (LQI) concept. The case study focused on a generic load-bearing member reveals that target reliability levels for structural design are commonly dominated by economic criteria.