Discussion: Culture

One area that Systems Safety really doesn’t delve into much is that of corporate culture. The Management Oversight Risk Tree Analysis
(MORT) can be used to discuss some of the areas where management may have failed but nothing really covers the culture of the company or organization. As we saw in the Challenger crash, the culture of pushing the launch even though multiple engineers said they should delay was a huge factor in why the explosion happened. In the end of the video on the Columbia crash (starting at 43:40 in the video), they discuss the culture at NASA and the fact that they knew a piece of foam had hit the wing and shattered on takeoff but didn’t give it a second thought. The reason for that is because if a long investigation came from it, the next launch might be delayed. NASA was being pushed by Congress to finish the space station and they did not want a delay.
So, for this week’s discussion there are two questions:
How did the culture at NASA contribute to both of these crashes?
Had the culture at NASA changed in the 17 years since the crash of the Challenger or was it just business as usual and they had just been
“lucky”?
Most of the modules in this class contain case studies that you will complete. As mentioned in the intro video, this class uses a building block process to introduce you to the techniques used by systems safety professionals to completely analyze a system. The specific directions for accomplishing these case studies are contained in each module.
Discussion forum responses should reflect a Master’s level of understanding of the topic and should demonstrate the ability to put this
understanding into a well thought out discussion of the topic with supporting references, where needed. References are not required in your discussions but if you use something from an outside source, be sure to cite and reference it appropriately.
Bottom line here is put what you are saying into your own words and attempt to teach all of us in the class something new. If you go into it with that approach, you should be fine.
General rules for all case studies – The case studies are designed to allow you to use the techniques you have read about each of the module readings. There are two basic requirements for each case study:
Every one of the case studies requires some form of a chart to be done. For example, in Module 2, you must construct a Preliminary Hazard List (PHL) just like the one shown in the samples in the class textbook. In Module 6, you must construct a full Fault tree analysis chart, again just like what is shown in the textbook. Now, if you don’t have a program that allows for building an FTA chart and are having a hard time formatting it, then there is nothing wrong with drawing it out legibly and submitting it that way. Realize that sometimes rapidly getting the information

presented to the boss for action is more important than taking the time to make it pretty.
A report to your boss outlining what you have found and your thoughts on it. Your report should include sections that tell the boss what you found, and analysis of why what you found is important and needs to be addressed, and finally what needs to be done to correct the issues you found or what is needed to bring it into compliance. This report should be a minimum of 1 to 2 pages in length and double spaced. These reports may require correctly APA formatted references and citations depending upon what information you used to draft your report.
Your assignment will automatically be evaluated through Turnitin when you submit your assignment in this activity. Turnitin is a service that checks your work for improper citation or potential plagiarism by comparing it against a database of web pages, student papers, and articles from academic books and publications. Ensure that your work is entirely your own and that you have not plagiarized any material!
Hazard Analysis Techniques for System Safety
Edition: 2nd
Year: 2015
ISBN: 978-1-118-94038-9
Author: Clifton Ericson II
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
Edition: 6th
Year: 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4338-0561-5
Author: American Psychological Association
Publisher: American Psychological Association
Note: For further information, see the APA website.
Note: The following materials are available for free. Links to these items are also located in the
activities within the course which require the specific sources.
Basic Guide to System Safety
Edition: 3rd

Year: 2014
ISBN: 978-1-1184-6020-7
Author: Clifton Ericson II
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Note: This ebook is free through the ERAU Hunt Library.
Air Force System Safety Handbook (PDF)
Note: Available through the Air Force Safety Agency
System Safety and Risk Management: A Guide for Engineering Educators (PDF)
Note: Available through the CDC