Technological progress in functional safety
Summary
A holistic approach is therefore needed, which requires expertise in various application fields across all project phases – from design and development to manufacturing and installation, testing, certification, placing into service, and decommissioning. However, as what is considered to be ‘state-of-the-art’ moves on at a dramatic pace (particularly in view of innovations such as Industry 4.0), new components and systems must frequently become available which are too technologically advanced for current standard requirements. An analysis by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) of incidents connected with the safety-related parts of control systems revealed that poor design and implementation, together with incorrect specification, accounted for 59% of the primary causes identified. It states: “The validation shall demonstrate that each safety-related part meets the requirements of ISO 13849-1, in particular (for example): the specified safety characteristics of the safety functions provided by that part, as set out in the design rationale, and the requirements of the specified performance level (see ISO 13849-1:2006, 4.5) It also explains: “Validation should be carried out by persons who are independent of the design of the safety-related part(s).” Carrying out the calculations required by EN ISO 13849-1 and EN IEC 62061 remains a complex task. Innovative technologies have contributed significantly to greater efficiency and a higher degree of automation, therefore allowing improvements in operability and profitability.