The presentation will focus on how to use UML (Unified Modeling Language) behavioural diagrams as input diagrams to risk analysis. The approach will be exemplified by demonstrating how a UML sequence diagram can be used to support HazOp for risk identification. Our approach includes both guidelines on how to construct the input diagrams from existing system documentation and how to perform a risk analysis using a particular input diagram.

This paper presents a method for carrying out the calculus of the risk priority of failures in Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA). The novelty of the method consists of new management of data provided by the design team, normally given on qualitative scales, without necessitating an arbitrary and artificial numerical conversion. The practical effects of these issues are shown in an application example.

Designed systems inevitably rely to some degree for their protection on organizational artefacts. These are rules, procedures, instructions, authority structures and so on that are designed, like physical devices, but have organizational rather than physical functions. An analysis was conducted of maritime accidents to investigate how these organizational artefacts were implicated in failure, and a method was then developed to help system designers to perform a failure modes analysis of these artefacts. The proposal is that analyses of failure modes in physical devices should be accompanied by parallel analysis of failure modes in organizational artefacts.
Keywords: failure, failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA), accidents, risk, organizational factors

This paper presents the multi-based experts Failure Effects Analysis (FEA). The experts’ opinions differ substantially because the experts do not often agree on the level of the failure factors (failure probability, non-detection probability, severity of effect, and expected cost) and the functions/subsystems attributes (e.g., importance). Therefore, conflict always occurs in Group-based Failure Effects Analysis (GFEA). The approach uses fuzzy Risk Priority Category (RPC) and group decision-making techniques to study both the failure effects on the functions/subsystems and the failure risk category with uncertain information. In addition, the approach uses the compensated operators to allow the tradeoffs either among failure factors or among functions/subsystems attributes. A solved example is presented to demonstrate the Group-based Failure Effects Analysis (GFEA) application.
Keywords: Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA); failure analysis; risk analysis.

Failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) is used in the manufacturing industry to improve product quality and productivity. However, the traditional approach has many
shortcomings that affect its effectiveness and limit its usefulness, especially in the early stages of design. Automating the FMEA report generation process seems to answer some of these problems, and there has been much past and on-going research in this area. However, most of the work is limited to specific applications. This paper proposes a method for FMEA generation for a generic application using minimum information during the conceptual design stage. Prototype software has been created for the proposed method. It has been evaluated using case studies from the design and manufacture of twoway radios. The evaluation revealed the feasibility of the proposal, as well as some weaknesses that need further improvement. Generally, the capability of the method to generate FMEA report with minimum information is demonstrated.