Assessment of Occupational Risk Using Multi-Criteria Fuzzy AHP Methodology in a University Laboratory

Bruno Storch de Almeida Calixto () and Ariel Orlei Michaloski
Additional contact information
Bruno Storch de Almeida Calixto: Department of Production Engineering, Federal University of Technology, Paraná 84017-220, Brazil
Ariel Orlei Michaloski: Department of Production Engineering, Federal University of Technology, Paraná 84017-220, Brazil

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 6, 1-21

Abstract: Academic laboratories operate in diverse fields. However, they expose individuals to occupational risks. To ensure social and economic sustainability, organizations must assess these risks. Accident prevention reduces injuries and financial losses. This study aims to structure an occupational risk assessment process in a university chemical laboratory in Brazil using the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP). The methodology consists of identifying risks and applying the FAHP with linguistic variables to evaluate and prioritize them. Fifteen hazard sources were identified. In the risk assessment phase, the “Chemical Risk” criterion was given the highest priority, accounting for 54%, followed by “Accident Risk” at 26%, “Physical Risk” at 13%, and “Ergonomic risk” at 7%. This study contributes to applying a novel scientific method that enables low-cost risk assessment, reducing the need for significant investments in technology or specialized consultancy services. Furthermore, the research suggests applying this technique to different economic sectors, broadening the applicability of FAHP in occupational risk assessment.

Keywords: analytic hierarchy process; fuzzy; occupational safety; risk assessment; university laboratory (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/6/2715/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/6/2715/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:6:p:2715-:d:1615412

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().