Fundamentals of Safety Margins
podcast episode with speaker Fred Schenkelberg
One way to create a robust product or system is to consider all the stresses and design to withstand those stresses. We often do not know all the stresses, magnitudes, and ranges of variation. We know that many materials degrade with time, yet we do not know precisely how much or how fast. We also do not know what new stresses may arise or how stresses will change over time.
With so many unknowns, we turn to safety margins to address the unknowns. The process is simple enough, meaning we will design a product to withstand more stress than we expect. For example, if designing a bracket that is expected to carry a 100-pound load, we design a bracket capable of withstanding a 200-pound load. That doubling of capability is a 2x safety margin.
Let’s examine safety margins and why they are one method to design robust products that also improve product reliability performance.
This Accendo Reliability webinar was originally broadcast on 12 March 2024.
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To view the recorded video, visit the webinar page.
Related content:
Reliability and Safety episode
Process Safety Management with Paul Daoust episode
The Link between Reliability and Safety with Ron Moore episode
Safety Factor article
Margin of Safety Definition and Examples Used in Safety Basis Documents and the USQ Process article
Fundamentals of Hazard Analysis
Let’s discuss the basic definition(s) of hazard analysis, and review the basic approach to accomplish the analysis.
Reliability and Safety
Let’s explore the overlap and differences between a safe and a reliable product or system, plus how reliability contributes to safety.
Fundamentals of Safety Margins
Let’s examine safety margins and why they are one method to design robust products that also improve product reliability performance.
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