Margin of safety

(design engineering) A design criterion, usually the ratio between the load that would cause failure of a member or structure and the load that is imposed upon it in service.

The margin between lethal and toxic doses.

The amount between a therapeutic dose and a lethal dose of a drug.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: an index indicating the amount beyond the minimum necessary
  Synonyms: safety margin, margin of error

Margin of safety may mean:

• Margin of safety (financial) in a financial context.
• Margin of safety (accounting) in cost accounting.
• Margin of safety in engineering especially structural engineering contexts.
• Margin of safety (band) is a jazz group.

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