System Safety for the 21st Century, 2nd Edition

APPENDIX IThe Scope and Functions of the Professional Safety Position^*

Functions of the Professional Safety Position

The major areas relating to the protection of people, property, and the environment are:

1. Anticipate, identify and evaluate hazardous conditions and practices.
2. Develop hazard control designs, methods, procedures, and programs.
3. Implement, administer and advise others on hazard controls and hazard control programs.
4. Measure, audit, and evaluate the effectiveness of hazard controls and hazard control programs.

1. Anticipate, identify, and evaluate hazardous conditions and practices

   This function involves:

   1. Developing methods for:
      1. Anticipating and predicting hazards from experience, historical data, and other information sources.
      2. Identifying and recognizing hazards in existing or future systems, equipment, products, software, facilities, processes, operations, and procedures during their expected life.
      3. Evaluating and assessing the probability and severity of loss events and accidents that may result from actual or potential hazards.
   2. Applying these methods and conducting hazard analyses and interpreting results.
   3. Reviewing, with the assistance of specialists where needed, entire systems, processes, and operations for failure modes, causes, and effects of the entire system, process or operation and any sub‐systems or components due to
      1. System, sub‐system, or component failures.
      2. Human error.
      3. Incomplete or faulty decision‐making, judgments, or administrative actions. ...