Risk management and risk acceptance regarding the stability of slopes: Case study

Lundberg, A.B., Alderlieste, E.A. and Spross, J. Risk management and risk acceptance regarding the stability of slopes: Case study. NGM 2021

Abstract: Most earthworks result in an alteration of the stress state in the ground, either through the excavation of soil or the placement of surcharge on the ground surface. These stress changes have the potential to cause a slope collapse or failure, often with large consequences for the

construction project or the immediate environment. Slope stability calculations are therefore frequently carried out for various load and excavation stages in the design phase to reduce the risk in the construction phase. Nevertheless, slope collapses sometimes occur, both small ones

with minor consequences, as well as larger ones with significant consequences for society. In the current paper, a case history of a slope from Scandinavia is examined to assess how the risk of slope stability was managed and allocated among the various agents, and how the slide could

develop. Was the risk acceptable for society on an aggregate level? The soil conditions and the construction process for the case studies are elaborated in detail with respect to the risk management principles in ISO 31000 and the recently published guidelines from the Swedish

Geotechnical Society. The risk acceptance and the concept of the risk owner, i.e. the entity that owns the specific risk, is discussed for the case study, as well as the consequences of the specific construction contract. The acceptable aggregate risk, i.e. the risk the local and national authorities

can permit, is elaborated