Systems engineering and safety - a framework

This study provides a definition of safety and assesses currently available systems engineering approaches for managing safety in systems development. While most work in relation to safety is of a 'safety critical' nature, the authors concentrate on wider issues associated with safety. The outcomes of the assessment lead to a proposal for a framework providing the opportunity to develop a model incorporating the safety requirements of a system. The concept of a framework facilitates an approach of combining a number of disparate methods and at the same time utilising only the beneficial features of each. Such a safety framework when combined with an approach which addresses the management of safety will enhance system effectiveness thus ensuring the non-functional requirements of stakeholders are met.