ABSTRACTThis paper proposes a generalization of the computational approach to structural reliability analysis through a. parametric Monte Carlo technique. The probabilistic evaluation of the deflections at incipient collapse is emphasized and the parametric method is shown to be capable of performing an accurate analysis of the safety of structures behaving in accordance with the basic hypotheses of elastic-plastic analysis. An application of the parametric method shows its computational efficiency in evaluating the structural reliability of a portal frame.