A Hybrid Risk Assessment Approach Using Fine-Kinney Method and Fault Tree Analysis for Enhancing Laboratory Safety

To enhance laboratory safety, a risk assessment was conducted in environmental engineering laboratories using the Fine-Kinney Method (FKM) and Fault Tree Analysis (FTA). The FKM was initially employed to prioritize hazards, with a subsequent FTA used to systematically identify root causes and evaluate the effectiveness of existing controls. These two complementary approaches identified 10 risks, categorized into four groups: physical (electricity, fire, falling, sharp object injury), chemical (acid, poisoning, contamination), biological (infection, allergy), and ergonomic (musculoskeletal injury). Post-control measures successfully eliminated 89.3% of ‘Not Tolerated’ risks, contributing to an overall 63% reduction across all high-priority categories, including ‘Not Tolerated,’ ‘Strong,’ and ‘Important’ risks in FKM. Application of the FTA led to substantial risk reductions, with post-control measures decreasing hazard scores for fire, acid exposure, and electricity by 72.8%, 66.5%, and 60.0%, respectively. The statistical validation of the findings confirmed that the risk reductions achieved in both the FKM and FTA models were highly significant. The alignment of risk rankings across both models validated the assessment's reliability, providing a robust foundation for decision-making. Finally, implementing these validated safety measures requires a total budget of $42,000.