Citation

Johnston BD. Reliab. Eng. 1987; 19(2): 125-136.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1987, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/0143-8174(87)90107-7

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

A recent European Benchmark Exercise has once again provided some evidence that dependent failures can dominate a reliability assessment by three or four orders of magnitude. In any reliability analysis the effect of dependent failures must therefore be assessed. Methods and procedures currently exist which make a dependent failure assessment possible. The best general approach available now, it is contended, is a systems approach which takes account of system defences in evaluating the contribution of dependent failures. A structured procedure for such an approach is presented.