Skip to main content
These three levels implement the ISO 14971:2019 risk evaluation outcome categories. The Investigation tier corresponds to the ALARP (As Low As Reasonably Practicable) principle, where risks require further analysis or benefit-risk justification before acceptance.

Classification Levels

IDNameDescriptionColorAction Required
acceptableAcceptableRisk is tolerable without further actionDark #330000None — risk is within acceptable limits
investigationInvestigationRisk requires further analysis or benefit-risk justificationAmber (implied)Perform benefit-risk analysis per ISO 14971 Clause 7.4, or apply additional risk controls
unacceptableUnacceptableRisk requires mandatory risk reductionRed #dd0000Apply risk controls to reduce probability or eliminate the hazard

Where This Enumeration Is Used

The risk enum is applied to two fields on the Risk Record work item:
FieldIDPurpose
Pre-mitigation riskpreRiskInitial risk level before any risk controls are applied
Post-mitigation riskpostRiskResidual risk level after risk controls are applied
Both fields are formula-computed in risksheet — they are derived automatically from the 5x5 risk matrix lookup using the severity of the linked harm and the calculated composite probability.

Risk Matrix Derivation

The risk classification is determined by the intersection of composite probability P (columns) and harm severity S (rows) in the 5x5 acceptability matrix:
P=1P=2P=3P=4P=5
S=1 Negligible A A A A I
S=2 Minor A A I I U
S=3 Serious A I I U U
S=4 Critical I I U U U
S=5 Catastrophic I U U U U
A = Acceptable | I = Investigation | U = Unacceptable

Risksheet Visual Styling

Risk classification values are color-coded in the HARA risksheet using CSS cell decorators:
CSS ClassRisk ValueColorVisual
rpn1AcceptableGreenGreen cell background
rpn2InvestigationAmberAmber cell background
rpn3UnacceptableRedRed cell background
rpn4Benefit-Risk AcceptablePurplePurple cell background (HARA only)
The rpn4 purple styling is a fourth visual state unique to the HARA risksheet. It is not an option in the risk enum itself — it appears only in the Final Risk Classification and is rendered when the finalRisk field is set to benefitAcceptable.

Three-Stage Risk Resolution

The risk classification feeds into a three-stage evaluation pipeline on each Risk Record:
preRisk ──→ Apply risk controls ──→ postRisk ──→ Benefit-risk analysis ──→ finalRisk
(risk enum)                          (risk enum)                            (finalRisk enum)
  1. preRisk — initial classification from the risk matrix (before controls)
  2. postRisk — residual classification from the risk matrix (after controls)
  3. finalRisk — conclusive determination including benefit-risk analysis (see Final Risk Classification)

Configuration Details

PropertyValue
Source file.polarion/tracker/fields/riskRecord-risk-enum.xml
Enum typeriskRecord-risk
Applied toRisk Record (preRisk, postRisk)
Computed byriskValuePre / riskValuePost formulas in risksheet
Used in reportsRisk Matrix Report, ISO 14971 HARA Report (Sections 4-7)

Code: riskRecord-risk-enum.xml, riskRecord-custom-fields.xml, risksheetTopPanel.vm, risksheet.json (HARA), Hara Risk Matrix Report page.xml