A Practical Introduction to Functional Safety

The International Standard IEC61508: Functional Safety of Electrical / Electronic / Programmable Electronic Safety Systems applies to safety related systems e.g. electro-mechanical systems, solid-state electronic systems and computer-based systems. This seven part international standard covers all safety lifecycle activities:

IEC61508 will influence the development of such safety related systems across all sectors and disciplines and represents a significant milestone in the development and application of safety related technology. The rapid increase in demand for safety assessment (against International Standard IEC61508) has created the need to understand how to specify quantitative targets for overall systems and for separate protection sub-systems.

The International Standard ICE61511 is the process sector specific standard. This standard gives additional guidance to the process sector particularly at the project specific application level. This course will explain how to carry out both quantitative and qualitative assessments against those targets. Participants will work through a typical integrity level setting exercise followed by an assessment of whether proposed equipment meets the requirements. The principles of safety assessment (including ALARP) will be covered.

Participants will receive a free copy of the book Functional Safety: A straightforward guide to IEC61508, (ISBN 0 7506 5270 5) written by the course tutors:

This course is essential if you are:

What you will achieve:

Seminar Overview

Topics

Major IEC61508/IEC61511 Topics

Workshops

 Questions and Open Discussion

Lecturers

Dr David J Smith BSc, PhD, CEng, FIET, FIQA, HonFSaRS, MIGasE

Has been directly concerned with reliability, safety and quality software quality for 30 years. He has written a number of books on the subject as well as numerous papers. His PhD thesis was on the subject of reliability prediction accuracy and common cause failure. He chairs the IGasE panel, which develops its guidelines on safety related systems (now in its third edition). He has also made contributions to IEC61508.

Kenneth G L Simpson MPhil, FIET, MIGasE

He spent ten years designing automatic flight control systems, and for the last twenty five years has been involved in the design of Control and Safety systems for the process industry.  He has published many articles concerning high integrity systems and is joint author of the book  ‘Functional Safety’. He participates actively in various professional institutions and government safety committees relating to programmable electronic safety systems, and is a UK representative on the international committee for IEC61508 and a committee member of IEC61511 and IGasE Programmable Safety System.

Keith J Kirkcaldy BEng, MSc, CEng, MIET, MRAeS

Over 15 years safety related experience including systems assurance and the design and development of safety-critical and safety-related systems. Performed SIL Assessments in accordance with IEC61508 and R&A studies on safety-related systems. He has chaired Hazard and Operability (HAZOP) studies, Project Health, Safety and Environmental Reviews (PHSERs) and conducted Hazard Analysis (HAZAN). Familiar and experienced in the use of R&A analysis techniques such as reliability assessment, FMEA, FMECA, FTA and RBD.