Competency Software Safety Requirements for U.S. Navy Engineers

By Brian Scannell and Paul Dailey

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DAU Online Training

Defense Acquisition University (DAU) offers the system safety for systems engineers course (CLE009). This is an online 3.5-hour course module that shows how the MIL-STD-882D methodology is integrated into the Department of Defense systems engineering process for eliminating environment, safety and occupational health hazards, or minimizing the associated risk. It uses the systems engineering V-model to identify the key system safety activities that are conducted during each phase of the system's lifecycle.

CERTIFICATION

Several options for safety certification are available. These include Certified Safety Professional Certification, PFS certification by NOSSA and Certified Functional Safety Expert (CFSE) certification.

Certified Safety Professional
The Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) provides certification in safety, after a combination of education, experience and a comprehensive examination requirements are met.¹⁵

In our opinion, this certification is the highest ranking of all national safety professional certifications. The BCSP also has agreements with other organizations in other countries, such as Australia, Canada, Singapore and the U.K., where a CSP is recognized as having met a professional standard in one country that is then applicable to gaining credentials and certification in another.

PFS Certification and Designation by NOSSA

A professional with PFS certification is recognized as being competent to perform associated system safety managerial duties, having successfully completed the certification process outlined in NAVSEAINST 12410.5. A PFS certification provides a quantified and recognizable assurance of system safety competencies to program managers. While PFS certification is a professional mark of distinction, it is not, and should not be used as, an employment designation.

Certification as a PFS should not be confused with designation as a PFS. The designation as an Acquisition Programs PFS is a formally delegated authority, as required by OPNAVINST 5100.24A, given in writing by the acquisition program's management. The Acquisition Program PFS is both the technical authority regarding matters of system safety, and the professional conduit into the system safety body of knowledge, the system safety community and the acquisitions lifecycle.

NOSSA has defined a certification path for PFS at three levels. The three PFS certification categories available are PFS High, Medium and Low certification.

This certification, in our opinion, is comparable to the CSP, although its use is limited to NAVSEA programs. NOSSA certification is relatively new, and as the certification program matures, its recognition will grow beyond NAVSEA activities.

Certified Functional Safety Expert Governance Board

The CFSE Governance Board was formed to improve the skills and to formally establish the competency of those engaged in the practice of safety system application in process and manufacturing industries. The CFSE Board offers exams, which provide two levels of certification, a CFSE and CFSP. Prospective members can select a specialization, which includes process industry safety, machinery safety, safety hardware development, and safety software development. In order to qualify to take the tests, candidates must have at least 10 years' experience in safety, but are given credit for level of education.¹⁶

CONCLUSIONS

This article identifies options available to obtain system safety training, specifically in the software safety field. Formalized training is important, and provides a good foundation for software safety. In addition to training, certified software safety engineers should also have a mentor assigned to them, attend a Safety Board presentation to gain experience, and provide a report of training experiences. Listed are recommendations to create better software safety engineers:

1. The WISE training tool must be required for software safety engineers. This system would document the Navy-specific training.
2. The DAU system safety modules may be duplicate information, but software safety engineers should also be required to take all available safety courses offered. These applications are offered at the Department of Defense level. It is our hope that the DAU online and site coursework will be expanded in the safety field.
3. At least six hours of accredited course work from a post-graduate program should be required.
4. A mentor assignment should be required for software safety engineers. It is important to obtain a mentor within the systems safety community to share experiences, knowledge and wisdom about safety, and to guide and assist less-experienced safety personnel. The mentor can also provide training opportunities, in addition to sharing experiences that would specifically benefit people desiring to broaden their knowledge in systems and software safety. A mentor/student relationship is instrumental in developing effective safety engineers.
5. Periodic attendance at safety-related symposiums and conferences should be required. This gives the software safety engineer the opportunity to keep current with safety issues and the solutions available.
6. Participation on the Software System Safety Technical Review Panel (SSSTRP) and the Weapon System Explosive Safety Review Board (WSESRB) should be required. Before software certification is granted, it is invaluable experience to participate or attend as a guest of the SSSTRP and WSESRB. This participation should include both related and non-related systems, to give software safety engineers broader experience in systems outside their expertise.
7. A safety engineer should be required to perform, or assist in preparing, a software safety analysis to gain hands-on experience.
8. Safety engineers should be required to provide an informal exit presentation or report on their training experiences. This will be valuable feedback to provide better future training experiences.

About the Authors

Brian Scannell works as a computer engineer at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Louisville, Kentucky. He has worked for the Navy for 15 years, and provided software safety support for the MK 34 Gun Weapon System for three years. He holds a B.S. and MENG in computer engineering, in addition to an M.B.A. from the University of Louisville. He has been an associate member of the System Safety Society since 2005. Scannell is the current secretary/treasurer of the Winners Circle Chapter.

Paul Dailey is a systems engineer for the MK 34 GWS, MK 48, Advanced Gun System (AGS) and Close-In Gun System (CIGS) at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Port Hueneme Division Detachment in Louisville, Kentucky. His educational background includes a B.S. in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Louisville and an M.S. in systems engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS). He is also currently a student in the Ph.D. software engineering program at NPS. His areas of specialization include test and evaluation, Concept of Operations (CONOPS) development and requirements generation, systems integration and software systems safety.

References

1. http://www.nossa.navsea.navy.mil/.
2. NOSSA secure Web site.
3. Software System Safety Handbook, A Technical & Managerial Team Approach, Joint Services Computer Resources Management Group, U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, and the U.S. Air Force.
4. http://viterbi.usc.edu/aviation/aviation_cert_program.htm.
5. http://viterbi.usc.edu/aviation/sft.htm.
6. http://www.erau.edu/db/degrees/b-safetyscience.html.
7. http://www.erau.edu/omni/pr/academicorgs/prssd/.
8. http://www.cs.york.ac.uk/gsp/sse_cert.php.
9. http://www.nps.edu/DL/NPSO/courses/course_descriptions.html#SW4582.
10. http://www.engr.washington.edu/epp/safety/sss.html.
11. http://www.system-safety.org/~am_2007/.
12. http://www.ieeesystemscouncil.org/conferences.html#iwss.
13. http://www.safecomp.org/.
14. http://www.safeware-eng.com/services/training.htm.
15. http://www.bscp.com.
16. http://www.cfse.org.

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