Highlights from the literature on accident causation and system safety: Review of major ideas, recent contributions, and challenges

• Published in: Reliability engineering & system safety Vol. 95; no. 11; pp. 1105 - 1116
• Main Authors: Saleh, J.H., Marais, K.B., Bakolas, E., Cowlagi, R.V.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2010; Elsevier
• Subjects: Accident causation; Applied sciences; Defense-in-depth; Exact sciences and technology; Firm modelling; High reliability organizations; Normal accidents; Operational research and scientific management; Operational research. Management science; Reliability theory. Replacement problems; Risk theory. Actuarial science; Safety barriers; Safety value chain; System safety; Safety value chain; System safety; Safety barriers; High reliability organizations; Defense-in-depth; Accident causation; Normal accidents; Tree(graph); Fault tree; Crosstalk; Disaster; Modeling; Teaching; Education; Risk assessment; Safety; Culture; Script; Probabilistic approach; Government; Deficiency; Systems theory; Risk analysis; Recommendation; Safety systems; Accident; Partnership; Added value; Reliability

This work constitutes a short guide to the extensive but fragmented literature on accident causation and system safety. After briefly motivating the interest in accident causation and discussing the notion of a safety value chain, we delve into our multi-disciplinary review with discussions of Man M...