Abstract
Probabilistic Risk Analysis (PRA) points to technical malfunctions and human errors that can lead to system failure. Integration of an analysis of a process for the lifetime of the system and of the organization that manufactures or operates it allows identification of the management roots of some of these failures. Information, incentives, procedures, and resource constraints are key elements of decisions made at each stage. In this paper, it is proposed to assess the probability that errors occur during the lifetime of the different components, the probability of error detection given the procedures of quality control, and the effects of uncorrected errors on the reliability of elements and of the system altogether. Three particular circumstances that affect reliability are discussed here: communication and degradation of incomplete information as it travels through an organization, conflicts of objectives (and corner cutting) on the critical path, and difficulties of learning in highvisibility organizations. An example drawn from work done for NASA is used as an illustration.
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Paté-Cornell, M.E. (1991). Organizational Factors in Reliability Models. In: Zervos, C., Knox, K., Abramson, L., Coppock, R. (eds) Risk Analysis. Advances in Risk Analysis, vol 8. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0730-1_22
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0730-1_22
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