Acceptable safety? Forgive me, I do not understand the '' acceptable '' part.
Is that the new acceptable term doing the rounds, that there can be different levels of safety that are acceptable by the certifying authority?
Basically, I believe that the terminology is used to conform with the ICAO requirements for SMS. A summary follows:
The introduction of the concept of
acceptable level of safety responds to the need to complement the prevailing approach to the management of safety based upon regulatory compliance, with a performance-based approach. Acceptable level of safety expresses the safety goals (or expectations) of an oversight authority, an operator or a service provider. From the perspective of the relationship between oversight authorities and operators/service providers, it provides an objective in terms of the safety performance operators/service providers should achieve while conducting their core business functions, as a minimum acceptable to the oversight authority. It is a reference against which the oversight authority can measure safety performance. In determining an acceptable level of safety, it is necessary to consider such factors as the level of risk that applies, the cost/benefits of improvements to the system, and public expectations on the safety of the aviation industry.
ICAO Doc 9859 - Safety Management Manual (SMM)