Probabilistic risk assessmentProbabilistic risk assessment (PRA) is a systematic and comprehensive methodology to evaluate risks associated with a complex engineered technological entity (such as an airliner or a nuclear power plant) or the effects of stressors on the environment (probabilistic environmental risk assessment, or PERA). Risk in a PRA is defined as a feasible detrimental outcome of an activity or action.
Failure rateFailure rate is the frequency with which any system or component fails, expressed in failures per unit of time. It thus depends on the system conditions, time interval, and total number of systems under study. It can describe electronic, mechanical, or biological systems, in fields such as systems and reliability engineering, medicine and biology, or insurance and finance. It is usually denoted by the Greek letterλ{\displaystyle \lambda } (lambda).
Safety-critical systemA safety-critical system or life-critical system is a system whose failure or malfunction may result in one (or more) of the following outcomes: death or serious injury to peopleloss or severe damage to equipment/propertysevere environmental harmA safety-related system (or sometimes safety-involved system) comprises everything (hardware, software, and human aspects) needed to perform one or more safety functions, in which failure would cause a significant increase in the safety risk for the people or environment involved.SafetySafety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. MeaningsEtymologyThe word 'safety' entered the English language in the 14th century. It is derived from Latin salvus, meaning uninjured, in good health, safe. via Middle English saufte, from Anglo-French salveté, saufté, from salf safe. DefinitionsThe term is used often and in a wide range of contexts.System safetySystem safety is a concept in safety engineering that calls for engineers to use a systems-based approach to developing risk management strategies. While traditional safety strategies focus on modifying systems to avoid the conditions that resulted in past system accidents, system safety analysis focuses on proactively identifying and analysing hazards before an accident can occur.
Industrial engineeringIndustrial engineering (IE) revolves around the design, improvement and installation of integrated systems of people, materials, information, equipment and energy. It draws upon specialized knowledge and skill in the mathematical, physical, and social sciences together with the principles and methods of engineering analysis and design, to specify, predict, and evaluate the results to be obtained from such systems.
Systems engineeringSystems engineering is an interdisciplinary field of engineering and engineering management that focuses on how to design, integrate, and manage complex systems over their life cycles. At its core, systems engineering utilizes systems thinking principles to organize the systems engineering body of knowledge.
SystemA system is a group of interacting or interrelated elements that act according to a set of rules or set of constraints to form a unified whole. A system, surrounded and influenced by its environment, is described by its boundaries, structure and purpose and is expressed in its functioning. Systems are the subjects of study of systems theory and other systems sciences.Requirements traceabilityRequirements traceability is a sub-discipline of requirements management within software development and systems engineering.
FailureFailure is the social concept of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, and is usually viewed as the opposite of success. The criteria for failure depends on context, and may be relative to a particular observer or belief system. One person might consider a failure what another person considers a success, particularly in cases of direct competition or a zero-sum game.
EngineeringEngineering is the practice of systematically applying natural science and mathematics to design and improve systems, devices, or processes that solve problems under constraints. It is typically motivated by satisfying human needs, resulting in creations such as bridges, engines, smartphones, pacemakers, the internet, spacecraft, and washing machines.
Branches of scienceThe branches of science, also referred to as sciences, scientificfields or scientific disciplines, are commonly divided into three major groups: Formal sciences: the study of formal systems, such as those under the branches of logic and mathematics, which use an a priori, as opposed to empirical, methodology.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.