Identification of risks stemming from new communication technologies

Advanced distributed communication technologies play an important role today in the control and maintenance of safety -critical systems. However, the excessively optimistic reliance on the new technology without ecognizing the threats against its successful functioning, being able to maintain barriers or/and eliminate or reduce the risks may result in impairments compromising the opportunities. At the current state of knowledge it is even unclear whether we can develop trustful causal paths between hazards of different natures and their consequences. Hazard identification and risk analysis have proved to be effective tools in developing more reliable and robust systems. As technology is developing fast though, a new need for an effective hazard identification methodology has emerged. To enhance the predictive performance of hazard identification in advanced distributed communication systems, we have envisioned and currently developing a
multilevel-multidimensional HAZOP methodology. The methodology introduces a new creative thinking stimulation model to substitute the conventional guideword-based approaches that is based on a multiple level and dimension exploration of the system under consideration. This paper
describes the work carried out to extend the standard HAZOP approaches to suit the analysis of new communication technologies based on a simple corrective maintenance scenario taking place at a Nuclear Power Plant.