Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8

1. Explain why common-cause failure analysis is important when dealing with redundant systems. Provide an example that illustrates your point (other than one from the course textbook).

Your response must be at least 75 words in length

2. Examine the success tree in the Figure 7.7 in the course textbook (p. 78). Write in outline format the logic for the first tier.

Your response must be at least 75 words in length

3. Consider a fault tree with an AND gate under the top event. The first tier contains four failure events with respective failure probabilities of 0.005, 0.002, 0.01, and 0.0001.

a. What equation should you use to compute the probability of the top event?

b. Using the equation, what numerical value do you get for the top event probability?

c. For the top event, what is the probability of the complimentary event (i.e., success probability)?

Your response must be at least 75 words in length.

4. Describe some of the criteria that should be used in determining a top event or condition for a Fault Tree Analysis. Provide some examples (other than the ones in the course textbook).

Your response must be at least 75 words in length.

5. Explain why system indenture levels are important when choosing where to begin a FMEA. Provide an example that illustrates your point (other than the example in the course textbook).

Your response must be at least 75 words in length.

6. Explain the difference between deductive and inductive reasoning as used in risk assessment. Provide some examples of each in your discussion.

Your response must be at least 200 words in length.

7. A professor scheduled a test at 11 a.m. on Wednesday. A student might fail to show up for the test.

a. If you want to make a fault tree for this, what text would you put in the top event box?

b. What type of gate would you put in the top event box?

c. List reasons for this "no-show."

d. Group the reasons for no-show into categories for placing under the gate in a fault tree. If you have more than five reasons, consider consolidating some of the reasons into categories suitable for a fault tree.

e. Use the outline format to write the final version of the logic you would use to make a fault tree for the student failing to show up for the test.

Your response must be at least 200 words in length.

Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11

1. Why should post-harm response be included in an incident investigation policy?

Your response must be at least 75 words in length.

2. Discuss the differences between risk-reduction strategies and risk-reduction tactics. Provide an example of each.

Your response must be at least 75 words in length.

3. Provide an example of a near-miss incident, and discuss how an investigation of it could help prevent more serious incidents from occurring.

Your response must be at least 75 words in length.

4. Perform the following exercise using Strategy 7 - help people perform safely. You will not necessarily be providing complete solutions, only demonstrating application of the specific strategy.

a. A large haul truck transports ore within a mine. When backing up, the driver can use the mirrors on the on each side of the cab, but still has a large blind spot behind the truck. What would you recommend to help both driver and the pedestrians avoid a backing over fatality?

Your response must be at least 75 words in length

5. Perform the following exercise using Strategy 5 - separate the hazard from that needing protection. You will not necessarily be providing complete solutions, only demonstrating application of the specific strategy.

a. A new casino is being planned. Among the various potential hazards identified in the risk assessment is the possibility of an armed robbery. The main concern is that cashiers may be threatened with a gun. What do you suggest for protecting cashiers from the hazard of armed robbery?

Your response must be at least 75 words in length.

6. Perform exercises a-c below using Strategy 6 - improve the resistance of that needing protection. You will not necessarily be providing complete solutions, only demonstrating application of the specific strategy.

a. A governmental agency wants to build a new office in a location prone to earthquakes. What can you suggest for improving the resistance of the building to damage from an earthquake?

b. Administrators of a hospital want to protect their staff from possible infection with Hepatitis B. A vaccine is available. How is a vaccination program an example of Strategy 6?

c. A forest not far from a city is filled with dead tree materials and considerable undergrowth. Experts on forest fires say that the forest will burn rapidly if a fire should start during hot weather. What option can you suggest for improving the resistance of the forest to fire?

Your response must be at least 200 words in length.

7. Normalization of deviance is often used to describe a situation where an unsafe condition or practice has become the accepted norm and the risk is ignored. Discuss the tools and techniques an accident investigation team could use to identify this normalization. Use a real or imagined example in your response.

Your response must be at least 200 words in length.

Chapter 12, Chapter 13

1. Briefly explain the differences in organizational aspirations regarding emergency preparedness.

Your response must be at least 75 words in length.

2. Discuss some potential roadblocks to establishing an effective safety culture in an organization.

Your response must be at least 75 words in length.

3. Explain the difference between a proactive and a reactive approach to professional ethics.

Your response must be at least 75 words in length.

4. Discuss some reasons why an organization's emergency planning efforts should include fires and explosions on neighboring properties.

Your response must be at least 75 words in length.

5. One of the continuous improvement loops used in an OSH Management Systems is an annual management review of system effectiveness. Discuss one other safety management process that could be considered a continuous improvement loop.

Your response must be at least 75 words in length.

6. Develop a plan for a two-hour training program on warning signs. Assume the employees have never had a course like this one. The OSH department recently bought new signs conforming to the most recent standards and replaced all the old signs. Your plan should incorporate adult learning theory, such as diverse ways for learning. You are not asked to develop the content of the course, but rather describe how the time will be used. Include statements of the purpose of the training and learning objectives for trainees. Include time for a pretest and a post test.

Your response must be at least 200 words in length.

7. Imagine that a recent college graduate is hired for an industrial hygiene position. After completing her first monitoring assignment, she writes a report. The senior industrial hygienist she works for reviews the report and annotates many changes. Some relate to recommendations in the draft, where the senior IH changes language stating that certain controls "shall" be implemented to less demanding words such as "could" and "recommended." The new IH is offended by all the changes and considers her professionalism violated because of not being allowed to work autonomously. Discuss the issues in terms of professional ethics.

Your response must be at least 200 words in length.

TEXT_BOOK :- RISK - REDUCTION METHODS FOR OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH BY Roger C. Jensen