Safety Case for Service Contracts

Safety cases developed for the Facilities Management and Operations Center (FMOC) are based on the requirements in MN471021, Work Planning and Control Criteria for Safe Design and Operations. The FMOC performs maintenance activities in various locations at Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico (SNL/NM). SNL/NM consists of more than 6,000,000 square feet of buildings, structures, and site infrastructure on approximately 13,000 acres of land. The FMOC performs approximately 7500 service contract work orders a year to assist with operations and maintenance at the SNL/NM site and facilities. As part of the continual improvement process, this Safety Case will be reviewed and updated, as needed, or at a minimum every three years. People tend to underestimate the probability of an accident if none have occurred previously or if the person performing the work is skilled, and they tend to trust each other’s competence. Human error within systems must be identified and considered. The FMOC uses failure mode analysis (FMA) to determine how a system might fail and cause accidents, as well as the amount and types of controls needed. The FMOC includes interconnected elements, such as people, environment, procedures, facilities, equipment, and the hazards identified in the work analysis. A daily pre-task plan is required prior to any work activity. Changes in work practices will be communicated clearly to all service contractors and personnel by way of contractor pre-task planning, activity-specific plans, contract amendments, and/or training. The FMOC has created a safe-by-design intent approach for service contract execution starting at the planning stage and extending through the execution phase. The Safety Program (see Figure 2) summarizes how the FMOC connects work analysis elements with service contracts.