Using system dynamics for safety and risk management in complex engineering systems

Author

Dulac, Nicolas ; Leveson, Nancy ; Zipkin, David ; Friedenthal, Stephen ; Cutcher-Gershenfeld, Joel ; Carroll, John ; Barrett, Betty

Author_Institution

Massachusetts Inst. of Technol., Cambridge, MA

fYear

2005

fDate

4-4 Dec. 2005

Abstract

This paper presents a new approach to modeling and analyzing organizational culture, particularly safety culture. We have been experimentally applying it to the NASA manned space program as part of our goal to create a powerful new approach to risk management in complex systems. We describe the approach and give sample results of its applications to understand the factors involved in the Columbia accident and to perform a risk analysis of the new Independent Technical Authority (ITA) structure for NASA, which was introduced to improve safety-related decision-making

Keywords

aerospace computing; aerospace safety; decision making; large-scale systems; risk management; Independent Technical Authority; NASA manned space program; complex engineering system; risk management; safety culture; safety-related decision-making; system dynamics; Accidents; Cause effect analysis; Control systems; Decision making; Design engineering; NASA; Risk analysis; Risk management; Safety; Systems engineering and theory;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Simulation Conference, 2005 Proceedings of the Winter

Conference_Location

Orlando, FL

Print_ISBN

0-7803-9519-0

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/WSC.2005.1574392

Filename

1574392