Systems For Safety

A new approach to safety, based on systems thinking, that is more effective, less costly, and easier to use than current techniques. Engineering has experienced a technological revolution, but the basic engineering techniques applied in safety and reliability engineering, created in a simpler, analog world, have changed very little over the years. In this groundbreaking book, Nancy Leveson proposes a new approach to safety—more suited to today's complex, sociotechnical, software-intensive world—based on modern systems thinking and systems theory. Revisiting and updating ideas pioneered by 1950s aerospace engineers in their System Safety concept, and testing her new model extensively on real-world examples, Leveson has created a new approach to safety that is more effective, less expensive, and easier to use than current techniques. Arguing that traditional models of causality are inadequate, Leveson presents a new, extended model of causation (Systems-Theoretic Accident Model and Processes, or STAMP), then shows how the new model can be used to create techniques for system safety engineering, including accident analysis, hazard analysis, system design, safety in operations, and management of safety-critical systems. She applies the new techniques to real-world events including the friendly-fire loss of a U.S. Blackhawk helicopter in the first Gulf War; the Vioxx recall; the U.S. Navy SUBSAFE program; and the bacterial contamination of a public water supply in a Canadian town. Leveson's approach is relevant even beyond safety engineering, offering techniques for “reengineering” any large sociotechnical system to improve safety and manage risk.

The practical guide to transforming your safety program into a functioning safety management system The advent of the safety management system (SMS) has affected all aviation sectors worldwide, and is now required for most domestic and international air operations, through either regulatory (14 CFR Parts 5, 119, or 121) or voluntary compliance. It's easy to be intimidated by the scope and complexity of SMS, but Practical Safety Management Systems distills the concepts and principles into a practical working format. Universities and training organizations will find guidance and resources to create, implement, and maintain a functioning SMS. An SMS must be adapted and continuously improved to meet an organization's mission while reducing risk to the lowest viable level for flight departments, independent contractors servicing the aviation industry, air traffic services, and more. Beyond mere theory, this book encourages hands-on exercise and practical application of SMS concepts and principles to varied industry areas such as flight crews, maintenance, air traffic control, airports, and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Beginning with an overview and history of SMS, chapters cover SMS components, costs and development process, approaches to safety culture, human factors, audits and evaluations, and more. Each chapter concludes with review questions. Extensive case studies and references are provided throughout, with additional resources supplied in a "Reader Resources" webpage. Practical Safety Management Systems is a useful guide for transforming your safety program into an up-to-date and beneficial safety management system.

Safety-critical systems, by definition those systems whose failure can cause catastrophic results for people, the environment, and the economy, are becoming increasingly complex both in their functionality and their interactions with the environment. Unfortunately, safety assessments are still largely done manually, a time-consuming and error-prone

Systems analysis and synthesis; Hazard analysis and cost effectiveness; Logical analysis; Probabilistic reliability considerations; Fault-tree analysis; Statistical analysis; Safety information system desing; Allocation of the safety budget; Case study: budget allocation applied to traffic safety; The right to be unsafe.

We all know that safety should be an integral part of the systems that we build and operate. The public demands that they are protected from accidents, yet industry and government do not always know how to reach this common goal. This book gives engineers and managers working in companies and governments around the world a pragmatic and reasonable approach to system safety and risk assessment techniques. It explains in easy-to-understand language how to design workable safety management systems and implement tested solutions immediately. The book is intended for working engineers who know that they need to build safe systems, but aren’t sure where to start. To make it easy to get started quickly, it includes numerous real-life engineering examples. The book’s many practical tips and best practices explain not only how to prevent accidents, but also how to build safety into systems at a sensible price. The book also includes numerous case studies from real disasters that describe what went wrong and the lessons learned. See What’s New in the Second Edition: New chapter on developing government safety oversight programs and regulations, including designing and setting up a new safety regulatory body, developing safety regulatory oversight functions and governance, developing safety regulations, and how to avoid common mistakes in government oversight Significantly expanded chapter on safety management systems, with many practical applications from around the world and information about designing and building robust safety management systems, auditing them, gaining internal support, and creating a safety culture New and expanded case studies and "Notes from Nick’s Files" (examples of practical applications from the author’s extensive experience) Increased international focus on world-leading practices from multiple industries with practical examples, common mistakes to avoid, and new thinking about how to build sustainable safety management systems New material on safety culture, developing leading safety performance indicators, safety maturity model, auditing safety management systems, and setting up a safety knowledge management system

Although aviation is among the safest modes of transportation in the world today, accidents still happen. In order to further reduce accidents and improve safety, proactive approaches must be adopted by the aviation community. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has mandated that all of its member states implement Safety Management System (SMS) programs in their aviation industries. While some countries (the United States, Australia, Canada, members of the European Union and New Zealand, for example) have been engaged in SMS for a few years, it is still non-existent in many other countries. This unique and comprehensive book has been designed as a textbook for the student of aviation safety, and as an invaluable reference tool for the SMS practitioner in any segment of aviation. It discusses the quality management underpinnings of SMS, the four components, risk management, reliability engineering, SMS implementation, and the scientific rigor that must be designed into proactive safety. The authors introduce a hypothetical airline-oriented safety scenario at the beginning of the book and conclude it at the end, engaging the reader and adding interest to the text. To enhance the practical application of the material, the book also features numerous SMS in Practice commentaries by some of the most respected names in aviation safety. In this second edition of Safety Management Systems in Aviation, the authors have extensively updated relevant sections to reflect developments since the original book of 2008. New sections include: a brief history of FAA initiatives to establish SMS, data-driven safety studies, developing a system description, SMS in a flight school, and measuring SMS effectiveness.

Progress in space safety lies in the acceptance of safety design and engineering as an integral part of the design and implementation process for new space systems. Safety must be seen as the principle design driver of utmost importance from the outset of the design process, which is only achieved through a culture change that moves all stakeholders toward front-end loaded safety concepts. This approach entails a common understanding and mastering of basic principles of safety design for space systems at all levels of the program organisation. Fully supported by the International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety (IAASS), written by the leading figures in the industry, with frontline experience from projects ranging from the Apollo missions, Skylab, the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station, this book provides a comprehensive reference for aerospace engineers in industry. It addresses each of the key elements that impact on space systems safety, including: the space environment (natural and induced); human physiology in space; human rating factors; emergency capabilities; launch propellants and oxidizer systems; life support systems; battery and fuel cell safety; nuclear power generators (NPG) safety; habitat activities; fire protection; safety-critical software development; collision avoidance systems design; operations and on-orbit maintenance. The only comprehensive space systems safety reference, its must-have status within space agencies and suppliers, technical and aerospace libraries is practically guaranteed Written by the leading figures in the industry from NASA, ESA, JAXA, (et cetera), with frontline experience from projects ranging from the Apollo missions, Skylab, the Space Shuttle, small and large satellite systems, and the International Space Station Superb quality information for engineers, programme managers, suppliers and aerospace technologists; fully supported by the IAASS (International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety)

This book describes how safety and other professionals may use safety database software on a personal computer to manage their safety and health programs. It emphasizes the techniques and features necessary to develop a computerized safety data system for a personal computer.

Presents the theory and methodology for reliability assessments of safety-critical functions through examples from a wide range of applications Reliability of Safety-Critical Systems: Theory and Applications provides a comprehensive introduction to reliability assessments of safety-related systems based on electrical, electronic, and programmable electronic (E/E/PE) technology. With a focus on the design and development phases of safety-critical systems, the book presents theory and methods required to document compliance with IEC 61508 and the associated sector-specific standards. Combining theory and practical applications, Reliability of Safety-Critical Systems: Theory and Applications implements key safety-related strategies and methods to meet quantitative safety integrity requirements. In addition, the book details a variety of reliability analysis methods that are needed during all stages of a safety-critical system, beginning with specification and design and advancing to operations, maintenance, and modification control. The key categories of safety life-cycle phases are featured, including strategies for the allocation of reliability performance requirements; assessment methods in relation to design; and reliability quantification in relation to operation and maintenance. Issues and benefits that arise from complex modern technology developments are featured, as well as: Real-world examples from large industry facilities with major accident potential and products owned by the general public such as cars and tools Plentiful worked examples throughout that provide readers with a deeper understanding of the core concepts and aid in the analysis and solution of common issues when assessing all facets of safety-critical systems Approaches that work on a wide scope of applications and can be applied to the analysis of any safety-critical system A brief appendix of probability theory for reference With an emphasis on how safety-critical functions are introduced into systems and facilities to prevent or mitigate the impact of an accident, this book is an excellent guide for professionals, consultants, and operators of safety-critical systems who carry out practical, risk, and reliability assessments of safety-critical systems. Reliability of Safety-Critical Systems: Theory and Applications is also a useful textbook for courses in reliability assessment of safety-critical systems and reliability engineering at the graduate-level, as well as for consulting companies offering short courses in reliability assessment of safety-critical systems.