FL Chapter News
Meeting Announcement
Proposition: Hosting the 1999 ISSC
We would like you to join us in welcoming in the new year at our next chapter meeting. Looking ahead, we would like to present a proposal to host the 1999 International System Safety Conference in Orlando. In light of the recent encouragement by the society to have a conference in Orlando, it is time we have a discussion among chapter members about whether we are up to the challenge.
Most of you have read in the latest Hazard Prevention that the numbers are in from the 14th ISSC. The New Mexico chapter showed an outstanding effort. Their conference netted nearly $76,000 in profit. A good portion of this went into the society's treasury($41,000+), with the balance going into the hosting chapter's account.
These respective bank accounts are not the only things growing. Because of the success of the conference, the society is growing, reaching places, industries, and people never before aware of the expertise system safety professionals provide. There are many of us within the Florida Chapter that feel we can add to this growth by hosting a conference. From personal, professional, and social standpoints, the exposure from such an event is staggering and worth serious consideration.
1999 might seem like a time off, but to do the job right, we need to have a proposal into the society by March. Hence, it is time to get serious about putting together some details. It is obvious that such an effort will require some dedicated work. This is the reason for this meeting. We need to get feedback from you to see if we are up to the task. Please join us. This meeting will lay the groundwork that we all can profit from.
WHEN: Wed., Jan 22, 6:00 p.m.
WHERE: Fat Boy's Bar-B-Q 10222 E. Colonial Dr., Orlando
MENU: Buffet(BBQ ribs & chicken, beans, cole slaw, beverage)
COST: $11.00(incl. SSS cover).
RSVP: Mike Willoughby @ (407)384-3923
National SSS News
Http://nasdac.faa.gov97issc/ is the WWW address for the upcoming 15th International System Safety Conference. If you are interested in submitting a paper, they have extended the deadline. Stay current on the latest news for this upcoming event by frequently checking the web page.
You may have heard that California OSHA adopted a Repetitive Motion Injury Standard late last year. This is expected to become law in the near future. Basically, the regulation requires an employer to establish and implement an ergonomics program following any injury "resulting from a repetitive job, process or operation of identical work activity which have been the predominant cause of a diagnosed, objectively identified musculoskeletal injury to more than one employee within the last 12 months." The California standard can be found on-line at http://ctdnews.com. This may seem like a reactive measure, but if employers realize the cost benefits, injury avoidance, and productivity gains, proactive ergonomic designing will catch on. Brush up on your human factors engineering skills!
February 16-22, 1997 is National Engineering Week. The theme this year is "Engineers Make a World of Difference." The goal is to increase awareness and appreciation of the engineering profession, and to emphasize the impact engineering has on our quality of life.
Performanced based is still the buzz word. Not only is this approach prevalent in the world of contracting, other organizations are jumping on the bandwagon as well.
OSHA is currently undergoing a rebuilding process, using various cooperative approaches and programs. It is looking to reward positive results rather than its traditional reactive activities and processes. They are looking to protect workers that are particularly vulnerable or exposed to extreme hazards. OSHA will seek and expect implementation of hazard control strategies based on primary prevention - strategies that focus on fixing the underlying cause of problems and reducing hazardous exposures at their source. To facilitate this movement, OSHA is committed to making as much material available on the internet as possible.
By the next millennium, code officials can anticipate the first generation of performance-based fire codes in the United States. One problem that this change may create is that it will be harder for code officials to detect flaws in designs that use performance-based techniques. It is more critical than ever that capable engineers get into the design process. With the incredible technology that is available to fire protection engineers, simply following prescribed codes is not always the best way to design. Many of the regional building codes(i.e. Southern Building Code Congress International) have joined to create a single international building code with provisions to incorporate performance-based language and goals. Underwriter's Laboratories fire protection engineers are currently involved in almost every aspect of this code writing process to implement performance-based fire codes. These efforts will surely increase the demand for system safety engineers on facility design teams.
Local News
The University of Central Florida is now offering a Masters of Science degree in Human Engineering/Ergonomics. The focus of the program is to provide a comprehensive educational base in traditional and emerging aspects of incorporating the human user/operator in operational systems, and to empower students to use that knowledge base to analyze and improve system designs that include a human element. . They offer many courses core to this subject, one of which is System Safety Engineering, EIN 6215.
Our Florida Chapter's website is sporting a more up-to-date look these days. Also, there is more and more information being added. We are getting good press in Hazard Prevention. There have been numerous inquiries from people around the country concerning what we are doing here with our chapter. Look to http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~mck44380/flsss.htm for the latest in system safety news.
Congratulations to Duane Hardesty for recently achieving CSP status from the Board of Certified Safety Professionals. Word is that he is the first person in the Tampa area to take the system safety specialty exam in the last 10 years. Duane snuck under the wire in not having to take the comprehensive exam first. Starting in January, all those who wish to take a specialty exam must first pass the comprehensive test.
There is a new logo incorporated into the website. We are looking for feedback, positive or negative on the image we present, which includes our logo. Most of the other chapters have such a symbol, so it is time to decide if this one stays or goes. For those who don't have access to the internet, this is an idea of what it looks like(in yellow and black):
FL Chapter Logo
Other News
Just when you thought you have seen every way possible to do system safety, there comes an attempt at something new. Instead of going through the effort to ensure safety in software, companies are simply issuing a disclaimer.
The following is an actual software disclaimer from UbiSoft, makers of Rayman Software
"These materials should never be loaded onto a system which is involved directly or indirectly, with on-line control equipment in hazardous environments requiring fail-safe performance, such as in the operation of nuclear facilities, aircraft navigation or communications systems, air traffic control, direct life support machines, foreign or extraterrestrial language translation, or weapons system, in which the failure of the system or these materials could lead to death, personal injury or the destruction of the earth."
Does this make you wonder if our profession is being practiced beyond what we know on earth?
Speaking of software safety, Nancy Leveson has updated her WWW site at the University of Washington to include a paper on a safeware technique called Software Deviation Analysis(SDA). This technique is based on the same underlying accident theory as HAZOP and is part of a Ph.D. dissertation by Jon Damon Reese. The address of Laveson's site is http://www.cs.washington.edu/research/projects/safety/www. This paper will appear in the proceedings of the 31st Annual Loss Prevention Symposium of the American Institute of Chemical Engineering. A longer and more technically detailed description of SDA has been accepted for the Int. Conference on Software Engineering to be held in Boston next May.
According to Edward W. Simmons, M.D., president of the American Back Society, back pain, through medical and disability costs adds about $1800 to the price of every car made in Detroit. This is another testimonial validating the potential cost savings that system safety engineering brings.
The Semiconductor Safety Association(SSA) is hosting their 19th Annual Conference in Orlando from April 1-4, 1997. Their theme is "Moving to Tomorrowland: The Future of High Technology." This conference will focus on environmental, health and safety issues affecting high technology industries. This year's program will include cutting-edge science and quality research in a comprehensive 3 day program. NASA astronaut Mary Ellen Weber will be the featured speaker for the opening ceremonies.
Most of you are aware of the current push by the System Safety Society to make a concerted effort to help the semi-conductor industry implement system safety practices. The SSA is dedicated to communication and education concerning EH&S, which parallels our society's efforts. For details on the fantastic things the SSA has planned for their conference, as well as more information about their organization, look to http:/www.semiconductorsafety.org.
Orlando is going to be the place for the 22nd annual National Hearing Protection Association's Hearing Conservation Conference. This will be held at the Grosvenor Resort at the Walt Disney World Village during February 20-22, 1997. There are four workshops including discussion of state of the art technology of hearing protection and discussion of the new ANSI S3.44 Determination of Occupational Noise Exposure - an Estimation of Noise-Induced Hearing Impairment. Call (414) 276-6045 for more information.
Mr. John Rankin, U.S. Army Materiel Command Safety Director, died on 7 January 1997. Those of you who interfaced with John realize what a great loss this will be. He was a steady influence in the safety community for many years. His ideas and actions were based on solid academic and professional foundations. Recall these fine qualities as we move forward without him.
Are you on this list of members? If not, maybe you should consider completing a membership application. Contact Frank Zelesky for information.
Current Members:
Larry Alverson Richard Andree Herbert Bogart Jerome Catz Keith Colombo Dennis Curran Jack Dixon Jim Drow Howard Elwell Thomas English Lee Flint Fernando Fuentes Ronnie Goodin Stephen Guillory James Guinn Duane Hardesty Albert Hartkorn Anthony Helbling Jack Henderson David Huff Larry Jack John Kappler William Kitzes Mike Kochmann Ron Larch John Leech Joseph Mangino Peter Mazur Michael Mew Lonnie Owen Loyd Parker Connie Perry Steve Phillips Steve Pue Richard Rogers Henry Rosenthal Frank Ruckle John Russel Robert Sanders Lynn Smith James Sprague Darrel Stokes William Valentino Jeffrey Vincoli Mike Willoughby John Wolf Frank Zelesky Ernest Zellmer
See if you can match the following cities with the annual International System Safety Society Conference. Check our WWW page for answers.
Annual Conference City
1st Albuquerque, NM
2nd Cicninnati, OH
3rd Dallas, TX
4th Denver, CO
5th Denver, CO
5th Houston, TX
7th Long Beach, CA
8th New Orleans, LA
9th New Orleans, LA
10th San Diego, CA
11th San Fransisco,
CA
12th San Jose, CA
13th San Hose, CA
14th Washington, DC
15th Washington, DC