Choosing Safety: A Guide to Using Probabilistic Risk Assessment and Decision Analysis in Complex, High-Consequence Systems

by Michael V. Frank

Overview

The technological age has seen a range of catastrophic and preventable failures, often as a result of decisions that did not appropriately consider safety as a factor in design and engineering. Through more than a dozen practical examples from the author‘s experience in nuclear power, aerospace, and other potentially hazardous facilities, Choosing Safety is the first book to bring together probabilistic risk assessment and decision analysis using real case studies. For managers, project leaders, engineers, scientists, and interested students, Michael V. Frank focuses on methods for making logical decisions about complex engineered systems and products in which safety is a key factor in design - and where failure can cause great harm, injury, or death.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781933115535
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	08/19/2008
Series:	RFF Press Ser.
Edition description:	1
Pages:	242
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Michael V. Frank holds a Ph.D. in nuclear engineering from UCLA. He has had decades of experience as a consultant in probabilistic risk assessment, decision analysis, and hazard analysis for both private industry and government, in areas ranging over nuclear reactors, aerospace systems, consumer products, nuclear fuel fabrication, and nuclear waste disposal.

Table of Contents

1. Making Safe Decisions: An Overview 2. Risk and Safety Concepts 3. Concepts and Methods of PRA 4. A Procedure for Making Safety Related Decisions 5. Principles of Risk Communication within a Project 6. The Blade Trade Study 7. Choosing Among Space Shuttle Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) Safety Improvement Strategies 8. The Decision to Launch the Cassini Spacecraft 9. Micro-Met 10. Concluding Observations

Editorial Reviews

'Engaging and fascinating real-world case studies . . .Important material of great interest to many audiences.'
Tony Cox, Cox Associates

'The most notable contributions are its practical approach to risk assessment and decisionmaking and the case studies . . . This is a first-rate how-to book. The case studies are particularly valuable for engineering students in aerospace, mechanical, chemical, and nuclear programs.'
William E. Kastenberg, University of California, Berkeley

From the Publisher