Date of Award

9-1993

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Department of Systems Engineering and Management

First Advisor

James R. Aldrich, PhD

Abstract

This research focuses on the development of a decision support model to select cost-effective alternatives for hazardous materials using life cycle cost (LCC) analysis. The model provides an effective decision-making tool to evaluate the economic feasibility of using alternatives for hazardous materials. Given a specific operation, the users of this model can enter site-specific cost data to determine the total LCCs of using baseline hazardous materials (i.e., hazardous materials currently being used in an operation), as well as the total LCCs of using various alternatives. This thesis postulates that the material having the lowest total LCC is considered to be the best alternative. In calculating the total LCC of a material, the following 12 LCC categories are evaluated: procurement, transportation, handling, facility, personal protection, medical, training, emergency response, monitoring, disposal, liability, and intangible cost. This research also includes a case study of an Air Force operation (Pathology Lab Tissue Processing) to illustrate the use of the decision support model. Although the case study specifically addresses a single Air Force operation, the model can be applied to any operation that uses hazardous materials.

AFIT Designator

AFIT-GEE-ENV-93S-2

DTIC Accession Number

ADA270712

Comments

The authors' Vita pages are omitted.

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