Under contract to the U.S. Departement of Transportation, a methodology for addressing transportation system safety was developed and the prime focus of the "First National Symposium on Transportation System Safety," held in may of 1979. The symposium was jointly spponsored by the U.S. Departement of Transportation, the Transportation Research Board, and the Polytechnic. The safety approaches used in Departement of Defense (DOD) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) were initially reviewed, including, but not limited to, the new and powerfull safety analysis techniques developed in aplications in those areas. Both the sponsors and the researchers were very interested in the "technologie transfer" from such applications. The methodology which developed is rooted in a sound and systematic management approaches to safety. This includes proper recognition of the safety function, interaction, feedback, and responsibility. It also includes proper and appropiate use of quantative methods - reliability, fault analyses, and the techniques of the behavioral sciences. Several case studies were executed on different levels and with different foci - an entire rail rapid transit property, a highway facility, and the pilot-air traffic controller interface. The balance of management, personnel interaction, organization priority, and the need for supporting quantative methods and information was explored extensively. (A)
Abstract