ABSTRACT
Foranunderstandingofthethinkingthatcharacterizesthe"Reliability School"ofsafety,webeginourstudybycitingthepublicationofMartinL. Shooman'swidelyrespected1968classic:ProbabilisticReliability:An EngineeringApproach.ManyengineerstodaycreditShoomanof BrooklynPolytechnicInstitute,withpublishingatrulycomprehensivetext inthethennewlyemergedfield.'However,therootsof"Reliability"go furtherbacktotheearlyindustrialengineeringworkofFrederickW. Taylor's:ThePrinciplesofScientificManagement(1911).Heisoften calledthe"FatherofScientificManagement."Taylor'sdominantconcern wasforefficiencyandthemosteconomicalwayofaccomplishingroutine work."Taylorism"nurturedthegrowthofAmerica'searlyindustrial assemblylineproductionmethodsthatarerootedinreliability.The Shoomantextbookincludedanexcellentbibliographyonreliabilitymodels andqualitycontrol.Sincethemid-1950smuchworkhasbeendoneon reliabilityanalysisandthetitlesReliabilityEngineerandReliabilityGroup .wereborn.Severaltextshaveappearedonthesubjectofreliability,and collegeandindustrialcoursesonreliabilityhavebeeninitiated. Publicationin1971ofBertramAmstadter'sReliabilityMathematicsserved theneedsoftheundergraduateorpractitionerwhohashadonlyan introductorycourseinstatistics/statisticsqualitycontrol.Inasingleready reference,thisappliedratherthantheoreticaltextprovidesusefultoolsfor addressingreliabilitystatisticsproblems.
