System safety clearly depends on hardware, software and the operational environment. But systems also use data: data consumed by the system, configuration data, data about the system (e.g. maintenance records) and even data about users of the system (e.g. competence data). Many systems also now contain vast commercial databases in which faulty data can indirectly impact safety via users or operators (e.g. medical records systems, geographic information systems).

These data-driven safety problems can occur in many industries and in many types of system – e.g. air traffic control, railway traffic management, policing and healthcare. However, current standards and regulations focus on systems and software; handling of the data itself is poorly covered. And the problem is getting worse, due to the growing scale and availability of data. Do we need new standards and better regulation, to ensure that safety data is identified, assessed and managed appropriately?

A panel session will give delegates the opportunity to relate their own experience, or raise issues they are facing. 

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Alastair Faulkner     Introduction – Standards and Industrial Practice

     Watch the presentation on iet.tv