One of the main problems with safety analysis is that it takes a lot of time and is tedious since there is a lot of details to cater to. Thus, computer support is important. The introduction of boilerplates and ontologies with component failure modes is an important step in the right direction.

However, we still miss the ability of describing and identifying the effect on the system's environment. Our current research focuses on three issues:

1. What is the effect of the assistance we already get from tools - DODT and GNLQ?
2. How can we describe hazards in the system's environment?
3. How can we reason about the cause - consequence chains of an equipment or control system failure from initiating event to the accident?

The presentation will summarize the current status and our thoughts about the road ahead.

Kurzbiographie von Tor Stålhane:
Completed the degree of Master of Science in 1969 - Implementation of debugging aids in an Algol compiler. Worked at SINTEF with compiler construction and maintenance from 1969 to 1986.
Finished a PhD in applied statistics 1986 - 1988. The topic was reliability estimation for software systems. Worked at SINTEF with reliability and safety assessment for systems offshore, road and aviation from 1988 to 2000. Professor of software engineering at NTNU from 2000 till now. The main responsibilities are process improvement, empirical software engineering and safety analysis and assessment. ( <link www.idi.ntnu.no/people/stalhane _blank>http://www.idi.ntnu.no/people/stalhane</link> )