Systems Engineering and Safety : Building the Bridge

Systems engineering principles are currently being applied to system safety best practices in several industries, as well as state and local governments. This book covers the payoff in both dollars and goodwill to the investment made in merging those two important and often neglected disciplines. It can be read, understood, and acted upon by the Chief Executive Officer of a multinational corporation, right down to the line manager of systems engineering or the technical professional in the safety department. The value in terms of cost savings, be it in the form of financial, human, or social capital, is clearly illustrated with real world examples.

Enhancing awareness of the interdependence of systems engineering and safety, Systems Engineering and Safety: Building the Bridge covers systems engineering methodology, safety tools, and the management needed to build the bridge between these two disciplines. It underscores the relationship between the disciplines and how understanding the relationship can benefit your organization and industry.

The book lays out the purpose of the methodology of systems engineering and the tools of safety. It identifies the importance of management and the culture, commitment, communication, and coordination that management must provide. The author describes the systems engineering methodology: the lifecycle, processes, and management and the technical processes that systems engineers and safety professionals must be familiar with. He merges management, systems engineering, and safety into the lifecycle through project processes. Using real-world examples, he also examines the roles and responsibilities of management, and a breakdown theory of safety in the management processes: The Glismann Effect.

The strength of this book is that it can be read, understood, and hopefully acted upon by the chief executive officer of a corporation, right down to the line manager of systems engineering or the subject matter expert in the safety department. This value can be measured in cost savings, be it in the form of human, social, or financial capital.