IEC 61508 Functional Safety Assessment

Functional safety is dependent upon a system or its components operating correctly in response to its inputs. To achieve functional safety, potentially dangerous conditions must be detected. Protective devices or mechanisms are then installed to prevent unacceptable risk and reduce the consequence of a hazardous event. In the world of electronic, electrical and programmable products and systems, an extra level of safety is required above the traditional product safety assessment: the IEC 61508 functional safety standard.

The IEC 61508 Functional Safety Standard

Mercury Systems is world-renowned for its expertise in IEC 61508 functional safety assessments and formal certifications. IEC 61508 contains the requirements that are applicable to the design of complex electronic and programmable systems. The standard covers the entire product or systems development life cycle, ensuring that components meet the required safety integrity level.

IEC 61508 outlines the steps manufacturers must take in order to ensure that their products and services are not susceptible to unacceptable risk. Unacceptable risk can occur due to hazards caused by the defective behaviors of products and systems. We are highly experienced in identifying potential faults in a system’s hardware and software. Our team’s goal is to ensure specific techniques are developed to increase robustness against the dangers of random and systematic failures.