Life cycle phases, system safety program

Appendix B System safety program requirements related to life cycle phases... 

System safety program The combined tasks and activities of system safety management and system safety engineering that enhance operational effectiveness by satis ng the system safety requirements in a timely, cost-effective manner throughout all phases of the system life cycle (MIL-STD-882). 

Figure 3.4 shows the typical life cycle of a generic project with the various phases within the life cycle identified, as well as the system safety program elements, as follows ... 

Table 4.1 shows where each of the major safety milestones fits into the system life cycle. Safety activities are listed on the left-hand side. The remainder of the table describes the kinds of activities to be performed during each phase of the life cycle. As you can see, many of the activities are repeated throughout the life of the system, such as implementing and maintaining the system safety program plan (SSPP). 

The scope of an SSP includes hardware, software, firmware, and HSI for all system life-cycle phases. It should be noted that in addition to the core elements, an SSP also includes many program support tasks that are necessary, such as design reviews, technical review boards, SSWGs, etc. The support tasks may vary depending on the type, size, and safety-criticality of system. The SSP and organization can be tailored to a program s size, complexity, and safety-criticaUty. The SSP is planned and documented in the SSPP. 

Most formal definitions of system safety also emphasize that the effort is for all phases of the life cycle, even though most efforts are concentrated (and rightfully so) in the early phases of new programs. 

Although all approaches to system safety give considerable lip service to life cycle or cradle-to-grave or womb-to-tomb programs, in practice many programs based on MIL-STD-882B concentrate their efforts on preoperation phases. Once a system is in full production and fielded, very little additional system safety effort is made. 

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