Government contracts, system safety

The plan developed by the contractor to meet the system safety program requirement of the government (as specified in the contract) is generally called the system safety program plan (SSPP). 

As this edition is published, the current MIL-STD-882 is the D version and, therefore, discussion of that approach to system safety implementation follows. The D version responds to changes in the defense acquisition procedures and is no longer the source for safety-related data item descriptions (the formal detailed requirements associated with defense procurement contracts). Therefore, for several reasons, the more detailed methods of implementation of previous versions of the military standard are retained because they are still valid. This is for two reasons. First, there are some government contracts with very long periods of performance or those that have been renewed multiple times that still refer to the earlier standard version. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, the implementation method of the previous versions provides a guide for implementation of the newer standard practice. ... 

The standard has both general and detailed requirements. General requirements include documentation of the system safety approach, identification of hazards, risk assessment, identification of risk mitigation measures, reduction of risk to an acceptable level, verification of risk reduction, review of hazards and acceptance of residual risk, and tracking of hazards and residual risk. When a government contract specifies MIL-STD-882D and no other requirement, only the general requirements apply. 

An important part of the government system safety effort is to assure that system safety requirements are specified clearly and correctly in contract documents. The formats for system safety products or deliverables are generally prescribed by data item descriptions (DIDs). Other specific requirements concerning the exact documents to be produced and delivered are specified in the contractor requirements data list (CRDL). 

In 1964 ASSE assisted in the revision of the Walsh-Healey Act (the New Deal federal law setting safety protections for employees of government contractors whose contracts exceeded 10,000). A heavy emphasis on education for safety professionals began. Systems safety management emerged with the advent of the U.S. space program and membership climbed to 8,000. 

Routinely, the government will require the SSPP to contain, at the very least, the items specified in MIL-STD-882. The SSPP will typically include explanations of the contractor s intended system safety program effort. The SSPP will usually provide detailed information about the system safety personnel and their qualifications, which must meet the minimum requirements of the RFP specifications. Information pertaining to intended Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and other types of operating instructions are also described. The SSPP should provide data regarding required products and services which will be developed during the contract period. 

As part of the contracting and system development process, the government develops the SSMP to guide all system safety aspects of the project. The contractor develops an SSPP that defines how the contractor plans to implement an SSP that meets the objectives and requirements set forth in the contract and the government SSMP. The SSPP should be a direct reflection of the SSMP, with more detail. In essence, the SSMP establishes the safety management process, and the SSPP establishes the safety program execution process by the contractor. Each plan will contain both management and technical aspects of the SSP. 

System safety process refers to the course of action required to effectively implement system safety. Figure 2.88 is a diagram depicting the basic steps in the core system safety process. It should be noted that the six core steps involve a firmly established best practice approach however, some of the tasks performed within each step may vary slightly depending on the type of safety contracting involved. For example, in a military contract, the risk acceptance authority person is mandated by DoD policy and involves government personnel, whereas in a corporation, it may be delineated in corporate policy and involve a set of corporate personnel. 

Bringing new ideas into the system is not easy, even if the ideas are good and people believe in them. They can be forced into practice, as the government has done on defense and certain other contracts. However, believers in the complete systems approach must also be able to convert their organizations to the idea. Few safety and health practitioners have the clout or skill to arrange this conversion. 

Nested contractors (such as contracted maintenance workers) and temporary employees who are supervised by host site management are governed by the site s safety and health management system and are therefore included in the host site s rates. 

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