The goal of every program or project manager is to have a safe reliable product and to have an understanding of the residual risk of operating that product. Two very important systems engineering analysis tools to achieve those objectives are Hazard Analysis and Failure Modes and Effects Analysis. Sometimes seen strictly as Safety and Reliability tasks, these analyses are key to a successful program or project and require input from all stakeholders. When viewed in the Systems Engineering process, Safety and Reliability are truly specialty disciplines within Systems Engineering. Hazard Analysis is used to improve system safety while Failure Modes and Effects Analysis is used to identify ways to increase product reliability; both analyses are required to improve systems design and fully capture the risk for a system or program. Depending on how the analyses are scoped, there could be a perception of overlap and duplication of effort. This paper will present a systems engineering approach to show the need and benefits for performing both types of analyses. Both analysis processes are required to ensure that all possible hazardous conditions and failure modes have been identified and addressed to minimize overall risk to the program/project and to ensure a safe and reliable system. / text

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) patients present unique patient identification challenges. Prospective hazard analysis (PHA) assesses safety by identifying hazards before an adverse event occurs. This project analyzes a barcoded feeding process in one NICU, and conducts a preliminary evaluation of PHA methods. Observations were conducted to quantify patient identification methods used in one NICU; the unit’s barcoded feeding process was examined for potential failures. The process underwent PHA with two methods, Global Hazard Ratings (GHR), a simplified method developed for this project, and Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA). FMEA showed greater interrater reliability; there was poor agreement between methods. A list of 21 hazards was developed for the clinical team from the FMEA results. Recommendations are for the unit to formulate and implement mitigation strategies for the identified hazards. Future work involves a more in depth look at FMEA interrater reliability and reliability comparison with other PHA methods.

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The National Fire Code of Canada (NFCC) is one model code which regulates hot work in Canada. The code specifies that hot work processes need only create heat to be considered hot work processes, and requires that precautions taken adhere to those in Canadian Standards Association (CSA) W117.2, which is intended for welding, cutting and allied processes. CSA W117.2 requires a 15 m spherical radius of separation in which combustibles are ideally relocated or, at minimum, be protected with fire blankets. Openings, cracks and other locations in which sparks or hot particles must also be protected within this distance. Additionally CSA W117.2 requires a fire watch during, and one hour following the completion of the work. The NFCC stipulates more stringent requirements on the fire watch than CSA W117.2, requiring a check back 4 hours after the work. The code in its current form requires the same precautions be taken when using a soldering iron or epoxy resin as when using an oxyacetylene torch to flame cut steel. The lack of hazard characterization of hot work processes, and the umbrella prescription of required fire safety precautions can result in insufficient measures to prevent fires in some scenarios, and inordinate precautionary measures in others. While not applicable law in all jurisdictions, the NFCC is relied on in various Canadian industries for regulative purposes. Nuclear power generation in Canada is one such industry facing onerous fire protection costs resulting from following these precautions for the smallest of jobs requiring heat producing tools. The literature review highlights the dearth of scientific knowledge regarding the propensity of hot work as an ignition source and how this shortcoming manifests itself in issues across the various standards governing hot work practices. The objective of this research is to assess fire hazards resulting from various processes considered hot work under the National Fire Code of Canada (NFCC). Due to the breadth of processes covered by the NFCC, a spectrum of hot work activities was investigated from processes as innocuous as the application of heated adhesive, to well known sources of ignition such as a variety of welding processes, oxyacetylene cutting and plasma cutting. To streamline the hazard assessment, processes were categorised into three groups based upon expected hazards such that testing could focus on the most prominent ignition danger presented by each. The groups were those processes exhibiting hot surface ignition hazards, processes with hot surface ignition hazards in addition to limited potential to generate hot particles, and those processes in which the generation of significant quantities of spark and hot particles is guaranteed. For the first two process categories, experimentation focused on determining a critical process temperature with which to rank processes and also compare with ignition temperatures of combustibles commonly involved in hot work fires. The critical process temperature was determined as the highest measured temperature of the workpiece or tool during the chosen process and was typically measured with the use of thermocouples and infrared thermography. Characterization of any hot particles in the second category was performed using infrared thermography, and in some cases, thermal paper. Literature sources indicated that sparks and hot particles are the largest factor in hot work fires, so specialised methodology was developed for the third category of processes to characterise the distribution of many thousands of hot work particles generated during welding, thermal cutting and other hot particle producing work. The distributions collected were used to determine the area enveloped by the ignition hazard of hot particles as well as areas encompassing the highest threat to combustibles in relative terms. Several of the processes as studied were found not to exhibit any measurable form of ignition hazard, including forms of manual sanding and filing and rotary filing of steel. Heated adhesive, cutting steel with a reciprocating saw and drilling of steel were shown to exhibit moderate degrees of hazard with temperature rise of 195\degree C or less, suggesting potential hazard to a limited group of combustibles. Welding and cutting processes were shown to have a relative ignition potential across a wide area. Typical welding procedures produced hot particles which travelled a maximum of approximately 3 - 4 m while thermal cutting processes ejected sparks, slag and hot particles up to 9.8 m from the work. Incorporated properly into updated standards and codes, the results and findings of this research could drastically improve the Canadian model codes regarding the regulation of hot work by decreasing cost and difficulty for Canadian Industry without increasing the risk of loss.

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) patients present unique patient identification challenges. Prospective hazard analysis (PHA) assesses safety by identifying hazards before an adverse event occurs. This project analyzes a barcoded feeding process in one NICU, and conducts a preliminary evaluation of PHA methods. Observations were conducted to quantify patient identification methods used in one NICU; the unit’s barcoded feeding process was examined for potential failures. The process underwent PHA with two methods, Global Hazard Ratings (GHR), a simplified method developed for this project, and Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA). FMEA showed greater interrater reliability; there was poor agreement between methods. A list of 21 hazards was developed for the clinical team from the FMEA results. Recommendations are for the unit to formulate and implement mitigation strategies for the identified hazards. Future work involves a more in depth look at FMEA interrater reliability and reliability comparison with other PHA methods.

In this thesis, methods used at present in occupational health and safety management are analyzed and a model safety management system is developed. History, development and recent occupational safety regulations in the United States of America and European Union are introduced to give a sight on this subject in developed countries. The suggested model is evaluated with work accident data taken from a company and hazard and risk analysis methods are used to investigate these accidents. Preventive measures to eliminate and reduce the consequences of these accidents are recommended. Finally a model safety management system which can be used in all types of industry is developed.

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Canterbury, 2007. / Typescript (photocopy). Accompanied by folded col. map (56 x 104 cm.) in back pocket. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 104-111). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Nevada, Reno, 2007. / "May, 2007." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 90-95). Online version available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.S.)--Missouri University of Science and Technology, 2008. / Vita. The print version of this thesis includes an accompanying CD-ROM. "Included with this Thesis is a CD-ROM, which contain the VISUAL BASIC CODE for the S4 application...The included code is divided into three files: a) VISUAL BASIC Module Code, b) VISUAL BASIC Form Code, and c) VISUAL BASIC FFT Code."--leaf 158. The entire thesis text is included in file. Title from title screen of thesis/dissertation PDF file (viewed April 25, 2008) Includes bibliographical references (p. 160-172).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Montana, 2008. / Title from title screen. Description based on contents viewed Aug. 19, 2008. Includes bibliographical references (p. 86-91).