System Safety Engineering: Key Concepts

Podcast

Play an AI-generated podcast conversation about this lesson

Questions and Answers

Which architectural techniques are familiar to individuals developing candidate architectures for achieving resilience?

Techniques for addressing adversity-driven considerations (correct)

Techniques for achieving sustainability

Design principles

Risk management techniques

In the Risk Management Process, what types of risks and opportunities are handled?

Risks related to availability, maintainability, and reliability

Risks related to sustainability and security

Risks and opportunities identified by resilience activities (correct)

Resilience-related risks only

What approach supports the circular economy throughout a product's life cycle?

Sustainability Engineering (correct)

Risk Management Process

Design Definition Process

Resilience Engineering

What is the main focus of the Business or Mission Analysis Process in terms of resilience?

Identification of adversities and expectations for performance under those adversities Signup and view all the answers

What is included in the stakeholder needs and requirements definition process in relation to resilience?

Identification of stakeholder needs and expectations for capability under adverse conditions Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary consideration in the System Architecture Definition Process with respect to resilience?

Viewpoints selected to support the representation of resilience Signup and view all the answers

What type of hazard is represented by an inexperienced driver driving a car on an icy road?

Socio-technical hazard Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary focus of system safety engineering?

Understanding system environment, proposed system, and use Signup and view all the answers

What is crucial for recognizing safety-critical requirements in system safety engineering?

Maintaining traceability Signup and view all the answers

In the context of Systems Engineering, what is a key goal during System Architecture Definition and Design Definition?

To enable reuse, remanufacturing, or recycling of materials Signup and view all the answers

What do the ISO 14000 series of environmental management standards provide methods for?

Analyzing and assessing industrial operations and their impacts on the environment Signup and view all the answers

What are the key quality characteristics for a circular closed-loop system according to the text?

Resilient products and manufacturability considerations for recovering valuable resources after useful life Signup and view all the answers

What is an important consideration for effective safety decision-making?

Recognizing dependencies between hazards Signup and view all the answers

What is the nature of safety as mentioned in the text?

It is an emergent property and cannot be guaranteed 100% Signup and view all the answers

What does good system safety engineering require according to the text?

A combination of qualified people, effective processes, appropriate governance, and culture Signup and view all the answers

What should safety engineering processes strive to integrate tightly with?

Operational efficiencies and cost reduction Signup and view all the answers

According to Akroyd-Wallis (2018), what should SE practitioners exercise caution when employing for safety critical systems?

Agile software techniques Signup and view all the answers

In which phase of the System Architecture Definition should key safety functions and safety performance be captured?

Stakeholder Needs and Requirements Definition Signup and view all the answers

What type of personnel drive safety performance according to the text?

Suitably Qualified and Experienced Personnel Signup and view all the answers

When should safety practitioners be involved in the decision-making process according to the text?

When key decisions are made Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

System safety engineering encompasses the engineering of socio-technical operational systems and management systems, with safety being an emergent property of the engineered system in its real operational environment.
Safety management involves minimizing hazards through design, technical mitigations, or procedural controls to reduce likelihood or impact of accidents.
Good system safety engineering requires a combination of qualified people, effective processes, appropriate governance, and culture.
Acceptable safety levels vary across industries and countries, with definitions ranging from compliance with regulations to evaluating and mitigating identified hazards.
Safety is an emergent property and cannot be guaranteed 100%, as hazards may be unknown or uneliminable.
Most accidents result from multiple causal factors and serve as critical feedback on system safety in operation.
Dependencies between hazards are important to recognize for effective safety decision-making.
Hazardous situations can occur without system element failure due to design or implementation errors or misaligned mental models.
Regulators assess safety risk in terms of both likelihood and severity of harm.
Hazards can result from various sources including intrinsic, functional, socio-technical, and management/wider cultural factors.

Studying That Suits You

Use AI to generate personalized quizzes and flashcards to suit your learning preferences.

Description

Test your knowledge of system safety engineering, which focuses on engineering the system of interest, the wider socio-technical operational system, and the socio-technical management system. Explore the impact of usage, maintenance, and management on system safety and the criticality of aligning mental models of stakeholders.