The Product Safety Journey
Paul Bird MSc, CEng, MIET MInstP
Corporate Safety Engineering Manager
BAE Systems Australia
© BAE Systems Australia 2012
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Introduction
This presentation looks at BAE Systems, our product safety journey and
more specifically the following:
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BAE Systems Product Safety Review
Product Safety Principles and the Product Safety Principles
Implementation Project (PSPIP)
Product Safety Case Studies (BAE Systems Australia)
Our journey – present and future
© BAE Systems Australia 2012
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The Product Safety Review (2010)
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BAE Systems set up a review of Product Safety in the business (the
“Product Safety Review”) prompted by our research into major oil
industry accidents at Texas City and the Gulf of Mexico and several other
high profile accidents including the Challenger and Columbia Space
Shuttles
The PS Review looked at the Company’s existing corporate policies,
processes, governance, actions and behaviours associated with product
safety
As a result of the analyses and investigations carried out during the PS
Review, BAE Systems has considered that a number of the “Lessons to
be Learnt” are applicable to the wider defence and equipment safety
environment and have therefore been applied across the whole business
© BAE Systems Australia 2012
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Product Safety Review - Key messages
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We will not sell Products with a level of safety below an ethically
acceptable level, or a legal requirement
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The level of a product’s safety is one of its parameters, like speed,
accuracy, reliability, cost … and is tradable – nothing is perfect
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Whilst we remain ultimately accountable for the safety of our Product,
Customers have to decide what is “safe enough” for them
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Product safety extends through life – from concept to disposal – it is
not bounded to the project or contract
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Product Safety is different from workplace safety – what we supply vs
how it is used – especially important for intangible Products
© BAE Systems Australia 2012
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The Product Safety Principles Implementation Project
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The Product Safety Review led to the development of four Principles
addressing :
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Accountability
Level of safety
Conforming products
Learning and sharing information.
Designed to be generic across the global company, all jurisdictions and
domains
Compatible with customer expectations
Provide guidance for local product safety issues
Embedded across the company in policy, management systems,
processes, learning & development assets and academic research
© BAE Systems Australia 2012
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Principle 1 - Accountability
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We shall work with our customers and others to ensure that there is, at all times
through the life of every Product, accountability for its unintended effects on the
safety of people:
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we are and remain accountable for those aspects of our Products that are
under our control or for which we are legally responsible;
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Our ‘duty of care’ extends our accountability to when we no longer have
control of, or responsibility for, our Products.
Whilst the Company’s retains ultimately responsibility for Product
safety, accountability will be delegated to individuals.
Are all accountabilities defined and owned across your Business?
© BAE Systems Australia 2012
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Principle 2 – Level of Safety
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We shall work with each customer to agree the level of safety that is to be
achieved by each Product through its life.
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We shall seek the highest level of safety of those who might be unintentionally
harmed by the Product that is compatible with the product’s required
performance, cost and schedule and the way that it will be used.
Does your Business agree the level of safety of each Product?
© BAE Systems Australia 2012
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Principle 3 – Conforming Product
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We shall ensure that our Products conform to their definition:
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with internal and, where necessary external, approvals for the organisation
and product
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by deploying suitably qualified and experienced people
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by applying independent assurance
Do all your Products conform to their definition?
© BAE Systems Australia 2012
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Principle 4 – Learning and Sharing Information
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We shall work with our customers and suppliers through the life of each Product
to:
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provide topical information on safety so that each customer may determine
how the Product is used
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obtain information on the use and performance of the Product to assess the
consequences for safety
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understand the cause of significant accidents and incidents involving our
Products, where appropriate with independent accident investigators, to
reduce the probability of recurrence.
We shall seek to learn from other parts of the company,
organisations and domains
Does your Business learn and share information?
© BAE Systems Australia 2012
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Product Safety Case Studies
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Make issues and incidents relevant to
everyone across the business
Share lessons learnt
Promote increased cultural awareness
Based on real incidents, accidents,
and near misses that have occurred
with our products
Case studies so far:
• M113 loss of road wheel
• Helicopter Support Engine Test
Stand Incident
• Henderson ship transfer turntable
incident
• Maritime Support
• Parakeet Hoist Wire Rope Incident
© BAE Systems Australia 2012
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Product Safety Case Studies
The purpose of the case studies is to determine examples of best practice
for implementing the new Global Product Safety Policy and the guiding
principles outlined by it:
• Accountability;
• Level of safety;
• Conforming products;
• Learning and sharing information;
© BAE Systems Australia 2012
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Introduction
M113 is a tracked armoured vehicle constituting seven different variants
which are being reconditioned, stretched and re-engineered as part of an
upgrade program performed by BAE Systems Australia for the
Commonwealth of Australia (CoA).
No Safety Case Report Existed
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Principle “Level of Safety”
Always follow BAE Systems Australia Product Safety policy and
produce an auditable Safety Case Report which is reviewed by
competent persons prior to sign-off. Product Safety is an emergent
property; attempts to introduce it retrospectively prove to be
extremely costly and time consuming.
The M113 team have now instigated a retrospective Safety Case
Report for the project to bring it into line with company policy which
mandates Safety Case Reports.
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Principle “Accountability”
During Company acquisitions always review the product liability
risk and the effort involved to demonstrate product safety
compliance of extant projects. Risk to company reputation and
cost/schedule impact could be large.
© BAE Systems Australia 2012
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Confusing Hazard Log
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Principle “Level of Safety”
When identifying hazards always break down the system into an
appropriate number of hazards not accidents (guidelines: 100-200
hazards for a complex system, less for simpler systems) and
ensure that system behaviour and accompanying mitigations are
well described
The M113 team have introduced retrospective hazard groupings (~30)
to effectively manage the hazards with accompanying descriptive
system behaviour.
© BAE Systems Australia 2012
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Procedural Mitigations
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Principle “Level of Safety”
Procedural mitigations should be used only as the last resort and when
used they should:
• be clear and unambiguous
• be proportionate to the residual risk
• be accepted as observable and realistic by operators
© BAE Systems Australia 2012
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The Importance of In-service Feedback on Product Safety Issues
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Good in-service feedback had been received and acted upon
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Convoluted reporting path hampered swift responses from the Technical
Authority
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Principle “Learning and Sharing Information”
Even in the absence of a support contract for legacy products, BAE
Systems still has a duty of care to inform the Operating Authority of
any known issues affecting Product Safety.
© BAE Systems Australia 2012
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Our Recent Journey
What has changed in BAE Systems Australia:
• Incorporation of PS Principles into Global and Australian Policies
• Global Product Safety Audit performed annually
• BAESA Product Safety Plan
• Safety Engineering Managers appointed to each Business Unit
• Airworthiness Council –Australia-wide –across all BUs instigated mid
2011
• Business Units submit Business Unit Product Safety reports quarterly
• Introduction of Independent Safety Assessors for high risk projects
• LCM Design reviews and Technical Bid Reviews all have Product Safety
assessment supported by internal PS audits
• Product Safety Case Studies (BAE Systems Australia)
© BAE Systems Australia 2012
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Continuing the Journey – Enhancing Competence
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Over 1300 of our 1800 engineers have completed a two day producing
safe products course
Engineering Managers, Technical Authorities and System Safety
Practitioners now complete a two week System Safety Course
- York University
Integrated Safety Management Systems Course introduced at Tamworth
- Dr Rob Lee
Masters of System Support Engineering – 12 part System Safety Module
being developed for on-line learning
Internal courses introduced covering Human Error in Maintenance;
Hazard Identification Techniques; Safety Critical Software Assurance
All SDEs, DSDEs and , eventually PEMs must be CPEng or no career
path in Design Engineering or Projects.
© BAE Systems Australia 2012
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Continuing the Journey – The future
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Continue our cultural change
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Ensure all Systems Engineers understand and fulfil their Product Safety
responsibilities
Move away from the ‘safety experts’ do safety culture
Ensure all in the supply chain understand their responsibilities for Product
Safety
Educate and hold subcontractors to account for their products
Continue to collaborate with DMO and the Defence contracting industry
on the formation of common competency standards and shared education
Continue to drive the Product Safety principles and ‘Just Culture’
messages throughout our business and through the entire product
lifecycle
© BAE Systems Australia 2012
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BAE Systems Australia
Thank you
© BAE Systems Australia 2012
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