System Safety Society FL Chapter News 

Meeting Notice:

Marv Becker
from SRS Technologies / Las Vegas Safety Workshops

Cape Canaveral Air Station Launch Safety And CSP Examination Changes: The Present and Future

Mr. Becker will be presenting two topics at our upcoming meeting.  First, he will take some time and explain to us what kinds of system safety operations are going on “Cape-side.”  Many of us are familiar with launch activities at Kennedy Space Center, especially with the shuttle, but few folks realize that the CCAS is just as busy.  We just don’t hear about as much from over there.  Here is your chance to get some of the details as to what kind of launch system safety activities go on at the 45th Space Wing.
The second half of Mr. Becker’s talk will encompass the latest information as to what is going on with the Certified Safety Professional examination.  As many of you might have heard, the BCSP has changed the mode of testing to a computerized platform.  This is a big change as the pool of questions now changes frequently, making it more difficult to anticipate what you need to know to pass.  The folks at SRS/Las Vegas Safety Workshops have been doing ASP/CSP examination preparation for a long time.  It will be interesting to hear what is going on as well as what might be in store for the future of this important certification in our field.
Marvin L. Becker spent 26 years in the U.S. Air Force as an Aerospace Engineer.  Assignments included the Air Force Flight Dynamics Laboratory where he worked on the design of advanced composite materials;  the U.S. Air Force Academy where he was an Assistant Professor of Engineering Mechanics;  the Space and Missile Systems Center where he was Deputy Program Manager for the Titan IV Centaur Upper Stage Program;  and Cape Canaveral Air Station where he worked launch vehicle operations and facility construction projects.
In 1993 he retired from the Air Force and became Site Manager for SRS Technologies' Florida Operations.  SRS provides safety and environmental engineering services for the Air Force Launch Programs Office, as well as the 45th Range Safety Office.
In 1996, SRS purchased Las Vegas Safety Workshops (LVSW).  Marv is the current manager for LVSW, as well as a senior instructor for ASP, CSP and OHST workshops.
He has a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Oklahoma State University; an M.S. degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology; a Safety P.E. License from Massachusetts; a CSP certification from the BCSP; an OHST certification from the ABIH/BCSP; and a CET certification from NETA.

WHEN: Thur., Feb. 12, 6:00 p.m.
WHERE: Cocoa Beach Pier
MENU: Key Lime Chicken, Flounder Almondine, or Club Sirloin Steak
COST: $16(incl. SSS cover).
RSVP: Mike Kochmann
(407) 384-5491 or Mike_Kochmann@stricom.army.mil
 

The society’s experiment in “virtual planning” of  the 16th International System Safety Conference seems to be working.  Several key people from around the country have all had their hands in what is shaping up to be another banner conference for the society.  Last year, in Washington, D.C., there was a motion to have the 1998 conference in Seattle, WA.  There was one problem with this idea: there isn’t a chapter in Seattle.  To overcome this, players from the several chapters around the country have been working together over the telephone and with email.  Cliff Ericson is essentially the only person on the ground in Seattle.  He has done the in-person work, such as looking at hotels and getting local sponsorship.  It is amazing, but others are handling much of the rest of the work (budgeting, technical papers, publicity, etc.).  Email is the key, with telephone conference calls solving the more involved issues.
Perry D’Antonio is moving ahead with accomplishing some of the issues he outlined in DC for the society’s long-term plan.  As you have probably read in HP, there are several things going on with system safety that are of the “paradigm” nature.  The International Surety Center, links with ASSE, HFES, the National Safety Council, and universities across the country are all examples of where system safety is being recognized.  In the big picture of things, it looks like the world is catching on that system safety makes good sense.
The Washington D.C. Chapter is pleased to submit a summary of the 15th International System Safety Conference.  There were 288 attendees.  During the conference period, the Society gained six new sustaining memberships, 47 new System Safety Society Memberships, and eight System Safety Society membership renewals.  Proceeds include $46,649 in net profit.  Of this, $38,006 went to the SSS. 

• a new introductory chapter, "Transitions Affecting the Practice of Safety"
• a new chapter on performance measurement
• a guide to developing effective incident investigation systems
• new ergonomic applications for improving cost-effectiveness and productivity
• the latest advances in incorporating safety into the design process
• expanded coverage of hazard analysis and risk assessment.

• Phone:  (800) 35-NIOSH
• FAX:  (513) 533-8573
• E-mail:  pubstaft@cdc.gov
• Snail mail:  NIOSH Publications, 4676 Columbia Pkwy., Cincinnati, OH  45226

The System Safety Society (SSS) and its members have significantly influenced National Science and Technology Policy since the Society was formed in 1962. The influence has been primarily and initially in the defense and aerospace industry (via MIL-STD-882) but is expanding into all fields that want a systematic approach to eliminate or control hazards and to manage risk to acceptable levels throughout the life-cycle of the product, mission, operation, etc. Generally, DoD, DOE, DOT, DOL, the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defense, European Space Agency, Japanese Space Agency, Canadian Space Agency, and General Industry are applying a risk based approach (system safety) toward the evaluation of technical risks. The Process Safety Std and the Chemical Process industry also apply this approach. The approach is based upon derivatives of 882-risk logic.
The Society and its members are practitioners involved on a daily basis with science and technology.  This personal and professional involvement has placed the Society in a unique position where the members understand the technical issues, have the knowledge to participate, and the desire to make meaningful contributions.   The SSS provides the forum for advancing the system safety discipline through professional collaboration, training, symposia, and serving in national forums. The application of this discipline enables science and technology to stretch the envelopes of knowledge in a systematic and safe manner, recognizing the need for managed risk for science to progress forward and result in applied technologies for the betterment of all mankind.   This is our ethos and is reflected in the SSS By-Laws and in our Fundamental Principles and Canons.
 System Safety Society’s National Influence, cont.
Participation with various nationally recognized science & technology stakeholders, to include:

• National Academy of Sciences, Blue Ribbon Panels, Public Hearings and Testimony, Professional Conferences, Intersociety Forum)
• Member of Board Certified Safety Professionals
• Sponsoring Organization of Reliability and Maintainability Symposium  (in alliance with AIAA, ASQ/RD, ASQ/ED, IEEE/RS, IEST, IIE, SAE, SOLE, SRE)
• National Safety Council’s Institute for Safety Through Design Advisor Board Member
• Close association with Electronic Industries Association (G-48 System Safety Committee)
• Member of Joint Council for Health & Safety Accreditation (system safety integration into university curriculum)
• Participation is safety standards writing; e.g., MIL-STD-882, semiconductor industry,  ANSI machine tool design
• Key Examples of Influence
• As part of the Intersociety Forum, the SSS went to the White House to meet with key Presidential Administration Officials to discuss how system safety was a crucial part of science & technology policy
• Public Hearings and Testimony - Examples include testimony to science & technology officials on the aftermath of Three Mile Island nuclear mishap; testimony during the OSHA Process Safety Management hearings; testimony at the Federal Transit Administration Public Hearings on State Safety Oversight for Fixed Rail Guideway Systems; participation with the National Academy of Sciences Building Research Advisory Board to recognize the application of system safety to the Federal Government’s facilities acquisition process; and participation with the National Science Foundation to use system safety principles for managing the risk associated with the process of funding scientific research proposals in Antarctica.
• Provide a forum at the annual conferences for the International Surety Center (Gore-Chernomyrdin Commission) members to meet industry partners.
• System Safety Standards Evaluation- Participation in the Electronics Industry Association (EIA) G48 System Safety Committee has been a leadership position to evaluate the use of Mil-STD-882C for commercial application (COTS/NDI) when the DoD stopped the Military Standards
• Education- Continued education in workshops, conferences, university lectures and courses in system safety have been a major part of influencing those in the science and technology field.  The Transportation industry has adapted the System Safety approach for hazard detection, evaluation and control.
• System Safety Analysis Handbook - Documentation of system safety analytical methodologies in the SSS’s System Safety Analysis Handbook has provided written evidence of the application methods for safety analysis. The latest science and technology application of software methods for system safety programs with safety modeling and simulation has increased the handbook’s utility to government and commercial industry.
• Oil Platform Safety Research- Research in the Offsite Oil Platforms was a major task performed in l984 for the National Science Foundation (NSF) with SSS participation in a Lead Subcommittee.  This resulted in recommendations for upgrading oil platforms with the latest safety methods.
• Safety evaluation of Transportation Systems- Upgrading the Amtrak electric railroad system, life safety improvement to station and tunnels at the Pennsylvania Station, New York, NY, and research performed in subway rapid rail transit systems are all examples of SSS influence in this area
• Software System, Safety Handbook- SSS has been active in this handbook development and bringing to industry the techniques for evaluating software and defining control techniques.