Progress on key issues
December 2007

Significant progress on several key issues, including competence management, software assessment and legacy systems, was reported at the Association's meeting at Pilz, Corby, in November, 2007.

Competence Management for functional safety
John Cryer of HSE gave an introduction to the newly published guidance on managing competence for safety related systems. He said that HSE had consulted widely and that the guidance had been published in two parts, the first giving the general principles and the second giving practical advice on their application. The guidance was intended to complement the IEE/BCS "Blue Book", an updated version of which was now available from the IET website.

John Cryer said that HSE had wanted the guidance to be as broadly applicable as possible but that it was intended to be compatible with Clause 6 of IEC 61508 which deals with management of functional safety. He said that people should look at the issues in a proportionate way and record why they had decided to do or not do things which the guidance recommended.

Paul Reeve of Sira said that the CASS scheme giving UKAS accredited certification of functional safety management to IEC 61508 Part 1 Clause 6 is perfectly placed to meet the guidance. Where the HSE guidance requires the assessment of suppliers and sub-contractors and their suppliers and subcontractors, the transparency of the CASS scheme allows a supplier and sub-contractor to offer the evidence of compliance in a quick, easy and cost-effective way.

The Association is working on a practical guide to the use of the HSE guidance, including the consideration of the requirements for syllabuses for training and evaluation courses.

For HSE guidance, see www.hse.gov.uk/humanfactors/comah/competenceinfo.htm

For IET "Competence criteria for safety-related system practitioners", see www.theiet.org/publishing/books/policy/comp-crit.cfm

Software - the final frontier?
Compliance documentation for safety related systems and components usually has plenty of information about the hardware integrity but is less informative regarding any embedded software. The application of IEC 61508 Part 3 which sets out the requirements for specifying and demonstrating the integrity of software is proving difficult.

The Association has brought together a number of companies with an interest in assessing the conformity of software with the requirements of IEC 61508 Part 3. The software group has succeeded in gaining some funding under the UK Government's Software Support for Metrology programme in order to expedite the development of assessment templates for safety-related software. The work is being managed by the National Physical Laboratory under the guidance of the Association's software group.

The Association is keen to encourage participation in the trials of the templates by software developers, manufacturers of intelligent devices, system integrators, end users and certification and assessment bodies. The trials are scheduled to take place between April and August 2008.

For more information contact Ian Cleare at ian.cleare@61508.org.

Legacy Systems
Following a successful one-day workshop in September 2007, the Association is drafting a basic guide to the review and management of legacy systems. The guide will be of particular interest to end users with older safety-related systems which were designed and installed before the advent of IEC 61508. The Association is responding to a question from HSE regarding the adequacy of current guidance on the subject.

The guide will stress that there is no legal requirement to adopt IEC 61508 retrospectively for legacy systems. However, the legal duties of employers to protect their employees and others from harm do include the need to ensure that safety precautions continue to provide the necessary protection.

The arrival of IEC 61508 provides an opportunity to conduct a review of safety-related systems in a methodical way so as to demonstrate that they continue to be fit for purpose. The review could also reveal systems which are no longer needed or which can be downgraded, thus yielding savings in operating costs. On the other hand, the review may show that some risks are not being managed adequately so remedial action can be taken to prevent a dangerous incident.

It is planned to complete the guide in the spring of 2008. To receive notification of the availability of the guide, please e-mail legacy@61508.org

What it means to be a member of The 61508 Association
Following consultation with members by the Chair, Wayne Baxter, the Association has agreed four principles required of members:

• Members recognise IEC 61508+ as the benchmark for achieving functional safety and managing risks in a proportionate way
• When members apply IEC 61508+ they do so properly in all respects relating to their role in the safety life cycle
• Members demonstrate compliance with IEC 61508⁺ by using a method which has integrity, transparency and consistency
• Members participate actively in the work of the Association
  ⁺ and related standards e.g. IEC 61511, IEC 62061

A presentation explaining what these principles mean in practice has been placed on the Association's website at www.61508.org/HowItWorks.htm.

Welcome to new members
The Association has recently welcomed three new members:
Analox Sensor Technology produces gas analysers which are used in diving operations.
Capula provides consultancy and related services to the energy and utility sectors.
Draeger Safety manufactures gas detection devices and sub-systems for industrial, medical and aerospace applications.

Companies interested in finding out more about the advantages of membership of the Association are invited to attend one of its meetings as a guest. For more information, please contact Ian Cleare on ian.cleare@61508.org  Tel: +44(0)1844 214238.