Hazards Analysis and Failure Analysis

• Provide solutions to eliminate hazards of the proposed design identified in Exercise 8

Context:

One hazard that can be eliminated, or at the very least dealt with, would be the physical flaws in the system. The sensors are designed to be able to read concentration levels within a certain scope. When dealing with toxic chemicals like chlorine, it’s a possibility that the sensors could deteriorate and misread data. The biggest thing our system wishes to accomplish to automate processes that are otherwise time consuming. While we want to automate the process of dispensing chemicals, there needs to be some sort of failsafe. An example of this would be a built in logical segment to the code to see if the queued dispense amount is within reasonable limits of a given pool (e.g. is it really a good idea to dispense 100 gallons of chlorine into a 50 gallon pool, probably not).

Another way to remedy potential hazards is requiring user confirmation for large changes in pool chemistry, hopefully preventing automatic execution of drastically incorrect actions. Requiring installation by trained professionals can eliminate potential hazards caused by improper installation of the system. Providing recycling/buyback incentives could ensure sustainable disposal of the system.