Title: Looking Beyond the Horizon

Author(s): Dewi Daniels, Mike Parsons

Publication Event: Publication of Proceedings of the Thirty third Safety-Critical Systems Symposium

Publication Date: 2025-02-01

Resource URL: https://scsc.uk/r3086.pdf

Abstract:

This paper builds on the SCSC’s response to the Post Office Horizon scandal and considers how software and systems can cause harm, even if not originally considered anything to do with safety. It considers the flow of problems through multiple layers of the Swiss cheese model of accident causation [Reason1990] and the types of harm that can result. It outlines suggestions for improving the situation. It highlights the role of the organisation owning the system and considers a way forward.