Assessment criteria for the outage tolerance of essential services provided by critical entities

Abstract

The functioning of modern societies relies on interconnected critical infrastructures and essential services. Consequently, a single crisis - such as a prolonged or widespread power outage - cannot be viewed merely as an energy-related event; rather, it constitutes a systemic disruption capable of affecting sectors ranging from information and communication technology, drinking water supply, healthcare, transport, financial services, food supply, public administration, and many others sectors. Therefore, when assessing the resilience of critical entities, the timing of a service outage is just as crucial as the fact that the outage has occurred. This study aims to present a methodological approach based on a 0–7 day timeframe to evaluate the point at which the loss of an essential service becomes critical. Rather than establishing outage thresholds defined by legislation, the model proposes a professional assessment framework grounded in the principles of Business Impact Analysis. The approach takes into account interdependencies between essential services, domino effects, substitutability, and reserve capacities, as well as the consequences for life, health, public safety, the economy, and the functioning of society.