R Harries Engd Thesis

CRANFIELD UNIVERSITY Rhydian Harries SAFETY CASES AND SAFETY CULTURE A SAFETY CASE ELICITATION TOOL FOR LIGHT UNMANNED AIR VEHICLES DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED SCIENCE, SECURITY AND RESILIENCE Faculty of Defence & Security EngD THESIS This page left intentionally blank. CRANFIELD UNIVERSITY DEFENCE COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY Faculty of Defence & Security EngD THESIS Academic Period 2006-2010 Mr Rhydian Harries SAFETY CASES AND SAFETY CULTURE A SAFETY CASE ELICITATION TOOL FOR LIGHT UNMANNED AIR VEHICLES Thesis Committee: Prof. P. John, Prof. R. Ormondroyd, Dr M. Williams (Management) Supervisor: Dr M.R. Edwards December 2009 © Cranfield University 2009. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of the copyright owner. i This page left intentionally blank. ii ABSTRACT The intention of this thesis is to define a guideline for the creation of a safety case for use in the field of civil light UAVs. It provides stakeholders with an opportunity to understand how the UAV, as a complete system, has been designed, assembled and will be operated in a safe and competent manner. Not only can it be used to create a safety argument to prove an extant system’s integrity, it can be used to identify weaknesses within a new system to allow further energy to be focussed upon the delinquent areas. The need for this approach is linked heavily to the UK’s civil UAV market and the vast growth which is forecasted to occur within it over the next two decades. The requirement is also driven by the extant minimal level of regulatory guidance available from within the UK’s CAA. The final guideline also applies a more qualitative approach to safety and encompasses those elements of a system which have been predominantly excluded from the majority of safety arguments. By combining a traditional ‘hard’ safety engineering approach, with a more qualitative and ‘people’ focussed approach, an enhanced safety argument is created which applies the fundamentals of today’s Systems Engineering regime. It should be noted that this revised approach to assembling a safety case for light UAVs does not tackle the most demanding of current UAV challenges which is that of ‘sense and avoid’. The aim of this revised form of safety case is to facilitate a more complete body of evidence so that safety engineers, safety managers (or regulators) may make a more accurate, relevant, and consolidated safety assessment of the system under scrutiny. Any decisions at national, or international level, which relates to the ‘sense and avoid’ issue, may be decomposed and included in further iterations of this guideline. iii This page left intentionally blank. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This study at doctoral level has certainly been a journey of self discovery. From a personal sense it has driven me through massive highs and lows, predominantly due to the pressures of juggling a demanding full time job in an ever changing business environment with that of research and study, predominantly within my own personal time. Without the following people the journey would have been much more painful and for that I thank them. I thank QinetiQ for allowing me the time to attend the taught components of the course. Of particular note was the initial support offered by Bob Burrows and Mark Pengilley by agreeing to sponsor this doctoral degree; as my bosses and mentors at the time, thank you for recognising my potential. Marc Jones, Ian McKay, Lester Pearson and Paul Rowley as friends, highly professional colleagues and honest sounding-posts, without whom I would have lost my sanity and direction quite frequently. Mr Wayne Johnson, chairman of QinetiQ’s Ordnance, Munitions & Explosives safety panel, for opening my eyes to other perspectives of safety. To my colleagues in the Operations and Safety Trials Working Group, especially Steve Harper, for keeping me organised during some of the more demanding periods of work. To my thesis panel, Prof. Philip John, Prof. Richard Ormondroyd and Dr. Mike Williams for their wisdom, support and encouragement. Special thanks to my supervisor Dr Mike Edwards for making time to travel down to West Wales and visiting me in my office; and for the hours of stimulating discussion, support and reflection over the occasional pint, it was very much appreciated. Finally to my wonderful wife Linda, daughter Gwenlluan and son Carwyn, for tolerating my briskness, exhaustion and absenteeism for the last few years. I honestly couldn’t have done it without you; I missed you greatly. Dad’s home! xxx. v This page left intentionally blank. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS TITLE PAGE ……………………………………………………………………………..i ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................... vii LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................ xiii LIST OF FIGURES........................................................................................................ xv ABBREVIATIONS...................................................................................................... xvii GLOSSARY................................................................................................................ xxiii CHAPTER 1..................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Thesis Overview..................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Research Area Catalysts. ........................................................................................ 1 1.3 The Research Question........................................................................................... 3 1.4 Thesis Aims. ........................................................................................................... 5 1.5 Focussing Upon The Research Area. ..................................................................... 7 1.6 A Systems Approach. ............................................................................................. 9 1.7 Thesis Structure. ................................................................................................... 11 1.8 Summary............................................................................................................... 15 CHAPTER 2................................................................................................................... 17 Introducing the T&E Environment................................................................................. 17 2.1 QinetiQ’s role in the management of Ranges....................................................... 17 2.2 History of the T&E Ranges. ................................................................................. 18 2.3 Future Requirements for Ranges. ......................................................................... 21 2.4 Integrating the Air Ranges.................................................................................... 22 2.5 The Foundations for an Integrated Air Range Operation..................................... 23 2.6 Benefits from an aligned Air Range Operation.................................................... 24 2.7 Previous Attempts at Alignment. ......................................................................... 25 2.8 Real and Tangible Synergy ................................................................................... 25 2.9 A Fully Integrated Air Range Operation. ............................................................. 26 2.10 The Author’s Evolving Mindset......................................................................... 27 vii CHAPTER 3................................................................................................................... 29 An Introduction to the UAV Industry ............................................................................ 29 3.1 Introduction. ......................................................................................................... 29 3.2 Civil and Military UAVs...................................................................................... 30 3.3 Current Civil UAV Operations............................................................................. 31 3.4 Market Opportunities............................................................................................ 33 3.5 The Author’s Involvement With Civil UAVs. ..................................................... 35 3.6 Civil UAV Regulations and Certification. ........................................................... 35 3.7 Legal Considerations............................................................................................ 36 3.8 Exemptions for Civil UAV Flights....................................................................... 38 3.9 Certification of Civil UAVs. ................................................................................ 38 3.10 The Light UAV Policy. ...................................................................................... 39 3.11 Civil UAV Classifications.................................................................................

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