Systems Management

Much guidance has been published on the importance of effective management systems in assessing and controlling risks. 

Some of these duties, such as the duty to assess risks, also apply to the self-employed. There are also specific duties on employees to use equipment only in accordance with the training they have received and to report dangerous situations and any shortcoming in their employers health and safety arrangements. 

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The UK government enquiry into the Piper Alpha disaster in the North Sea in 1988 has had a significant impact on working practices and equipment and has helped to improve offshore safety around the world. One result has been the development of a Safety Management System (SMS) which is a method of integrating work practices, and is a form of quality management system. Major oil companies have each developed their own specific SMS, to suit local environments and modes of operation, but the SMS typically addresses the following areas (recommended by the Cullen Enquiry into the Piper Alpha disaster) ... 

For the practical evaluation of the algorithm described previously it is integrated into the NDT Sean Manager system (DBA Systems Inc, Melbourne, FL, U.S.A). This system allows film digitisation, display, evaluation and archiveraent of images /3,4/ and was developed for the needs of computer based industrial NDT film inspection. A snapshot of the user interfaee for wall thickness evaluation is shown in fig. 3. 

Figure 5-2. The database(s) (DB) with organized data and metadata are part of the Database SysteiTi (DBS), which is managed by the Database Management System (DBMS).

A disadvantage of the relational database management system (RDBMS) might be the overload of hardware and operating systems, which make the system slower. 

Written by Bruce Osterby (University of Wisconsin LaCrosse) the Test Bank is formatted for easy integration into the following course management systems PageOut WebCT and Blackboard... 

The Test Bank and Online Learning Center with self assessments quizzes and review aids are available m the various course management systems Please ask your sales representative for details if you are interested... 

Course Management Systems— PageOut WebCT and Blackboard All of the following tools are available on the Online Learning Center or m a cartridge for your course delivery system... 

MACCS/ISIS Databases and DB management systems Daylight Chemical Infor-mation Systems Molecular Design Limited, Inc. (MDLI)... 

MACCS-II enables direct interface with other database management systems, such as the Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) and Oracle, so that databases which contain text and numeric data for which special interfaces are normally needed can be constmcted. Eor example, an Oracle MACCS-II linked system is currendy being used by the National Institute on Dmg Abuse (113) to develop a database that will allow scientists to determine the molecular stmctures of cocaine and other controlled substances as well as designer dmgs. 

A laboratory information management system (LIMS) is a computer or computer network used to automate the acquisition and management of raw analytical data. In its simplest form, it tracks samples and test results through analytical laboratories and provides summaries of the status of these samples and tests. In its most advanced form, the system is interfaced to the laboratory s instmmentation and communication network to allow automation of data gathering, compilation, and reporting. 

The hardware and software used to implement LIMS systems must be vahdated. Computers and networks need to be examined for potential impact of component failure on LIMS data. Security concerns regarding control of access to LIMS information must be addressed. Software, operating systems, and database management systems used in the implementation of LIMS systems must be vahdated to protect against data cormption and loss. Mechanisms for fault-tolerant operation and LIMS data backup and restoration should be documented and tested. One approach to vahdation of LIMS hardware and software is to choose vendors whose products are precertified however, the ultimate responsibihty for vahdation remains with the user. Vahdating the LIMS system s operation involves a substantial amount of work, and an adequate vahdation infrastmcture is a prerequisite for the constmction of a dependable and flexible LIMS system. 

A database management system (DBMS) is used by most LIMS systems for storing data. Examples of commercially available DBMS are DB2, DBASE, Informix, INGRES, ORACLE, and RDB. AH of these DBMS conform to the "relational" model developed by Codd (19). Eigure 3 demonstrates the use of a relational DBMS for storing LIMS data. Here data is grouped by type so customer and analysis requests are stored separately from sets of sample information which are, in turn, stored separately from sets of analysis results. Individual records are linked or related by unique identification data. 

R. D. McDowaH, ed., Faboratory Information Management Systems Concepts, Integration andimplementation. Sigma Press, New York, 1987, p. 12. 

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