Advanced Physics for Brachytherapy 2018

Fault Tree Analysis

Developed in 1961 at Bell Laboratories by H. A. Watson

Launch Control Safety Study for Intercontinental Ballistic Missile

Translation of system failure behavior into visual diagram and logic model

Visual model portrays system relationships and root cause pathways

Logic model provides qualitative & quantitative system evaluation

Utilizes Boolean algebra and probability theory

FTA popularized by US tragedies: Apollo 1 fire (1967), Three Mile Island nuclear meltdown (1979), Space Shuttle Challenger (1986)

FTA provides top-down risk assessment, FMEA is a bottom-up approach