FAIL-SAFE DESIGN FAIL-SAFE DESIGN Fail-safe design is one in which a failure will not adversely affect the safe operation of the system, equip- ment, or facility. FAIL-SAFE DEVICE A device built into a potentially hazardous piece of equipment that provides that the equipment will remain safe to friendly users even though it might fail in its intended pur- pose. They may be self-destructive in the event of equipment failure or may be destroyed by command if operated remotely. FAILURE The temporary or permanent termination of the ability of an entity to perform its required function. FAILURE ANALYSIS Subsequent to a failure, the logical system- atic examination of an item, its construction, application, and doc- umentation to identify the failure mode and determine the failure mechanism and its basic cause. FAILURE LATENCY The elapsed time between fault occurrence and failure indication. FAILURE MODE AND EFFECTS ANALYSIS (FMEA) Analytical technique that uses the potential failure modes of a pro-