Introduction

All individuals want to be free from harm, whatever the cause. But perfect safety is rare because almost any activity has dangers. Accidents can, and do, happen. Sooner or later the unexpected interactions will occur, and every type of accident has this in common:

• Firstly, nobody perceived the conspiracy of events that would lead to disaster;
• Secondly, they were all preventable - which means that blame will be sought.

Management's legal liabilities are likely to increase in the future. The crucial question will be whether there was a failure of management (of all stakeholders) to provide for safety. In terms of criminal liability, all companies will have to look very carefully at their Safety Management Systems.

Aim

The aim of this website is to provide a "first-stop" portal for anyone interested in Safety Assessments and Safety Cases.

Objectives

The objectives of this website are to:

• Provide ongoing supporting data to the book Aircraft System Safety: Military and Civil Aeronautical Applications.
• Provide a link to useful publications on the subject of aircraft safety.
• Provide a list of commonly used definitions/abbreviations/acronyms used in safety reports.
• Summarise various Tools & Techniques which may be used during the Safety Assessment process.
• Provide a portal to other related websites.

Scope

The scope of this website is largely focussed on approaches considered appropriate for the development and operation of large (transport) aircraft systems, but any industrial sector producing/managing complex and potentially hazardous systems may find useful information here (...after all, the proven safety record of commercial transport aircraft under JAR/FAR Part 25 is the standard by which the safety of other transportation systems is often measured).