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In the last issue of JSS, I asked whether system safety is still relevant. I certainly would like to think so, but disturbing trends around the world make me ask the question again.
But perhaps it's the wrong question. System safety is relevant and necessary; it's just that it seems to be ignored and disregarded whenever it is convenient. For example, Toyota does not seem to have applied system safety processes in its car designs, and is now having problems with uncontrolled acceleration. And, British Petroleum (BP) does not seem to have applied suitable safety systems or redundant systems to prevent its massive oil gusher into U.S. waters and shorelines. Yes, system safety is relevant; it's just ignored or inadequately applied.
This issue of JSS contains three main articles, plus lively topics presented by our regular columnists. The first technical paper in this issue, "Enhancing Human Reliability of System Operators through Checks" by David Clarke, discusses the impact of human error in safety-critical applications, and presents methods for the minimization of operator errors. Human error reduction is a goal that enhances both system safety and reliability.
The second technical paper in this issue, "Unidentified Hazard: Organizational Culture as a Prerequisite to System Safety" by Gene Hudson, proposes that system safety is vulnerable to failure unless the culture of the organization encourages the undistorted reporting and upward flow of disconfirming safety information. He cites examples of catastrophic losses within the aerospace industry that occurred in spite of the detailed application of system safety processes. He attributes the failures to biases and distortions in the identification and analysis of hazards and their associated risks.
The third technical paper in this issue, "System Safety Needs NASCAR Communication" by David Winner, summarizes David's master's thesis in system safety on the topic of the interpretation of safety requirements by different segments of industry. It includes the results of an industry survey he performed on the topic of safety requirements.
In his TBD column, Charlie Hoes discusses safety and risk standards used in the European Union (EU). In particular he touches upon EN 954-1, "Safety of Machinery — Safety-related parts of control systems"; IEC 61508, "Functional Safety of Electrical/Electronic/Programmable Electronic Safety-Related Systems;" and ISO 13849-1, "Safety of machinery — Safety-related parts of control systems."
In his System Safety in Healthcare column, Dev Raheja discusses human factors engineering in patient safety. He presents a breakdown of human error types, and several methods to eliminate or control them. Since human error cannot be 100 percent eliminated, it is critical to understand and control types of human error, particularly in the patient safety field.
In his Gains from Losses column, John Livingston discusses "weather-proofing" systems for safety. A system's ability to respond to environmental conditions, both external and internal in nature, is important to its safe operation. Many systems have been lost because of a failure to assess and develop a proper response to potential environmental threats. In other cases, robust systems have successfully overcome conditions that were beyond those anticipated by design analysts. In this article John offers several examples of this.
Please keep your comments, opinions, articles and suggestions coming. Thanks.
Until next time,
Clif
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