Frequently Asked Questions about Functional Safety

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 Functional Safety is the part of overall system safety that depends on a system or equipment operating correctly in response to its inputs, including safe failure in the event of faults. 

 Because lives, reputations, and businesses are on the line. It ensures systems perform safely even when things go wrong — avoiding hazardous failures in critical applications like automotive, industrial automation, aerospace, and medical devices. 

 General safety is about physical safety (e.g., guards, locks, warning labels), while functional safety focuses on automatic protection functions — the systems that detect risk and act to prevent harm. 

• ISO 26262 – Road vehicles
   
• IEC 61508 – General functional safety
   
• IEC 62061 – Machinery
   
• IEC 61511 – Process industry
   
• ISO 13849 – Safety of machinery

• SIL (IEC 61508/61511): Used in general and process industries
   
• ASIL (ISO 26262): Automotive-specific (A to D, D being highest risk)
   
• PL (ISO 13849): Used for machinery (Performance Levels a to e)

Start by identifying the applicable safety standard (e.g., ISO 26262, IEC 61508), then conduct a hazard and risk analysis to define safety goals. Set up a functional safety process, train your team, and begin with a small pilot project.

Typical Timeline:

• Month 0–2: Training, standard selection, risk analysis
   
• Month 3–6: Process setup, pilot project, tooling
   
• Month 6–12: Implementation, verification, documentation
   
• Month 12–18+: Full compliance, optional certification
   

Total: 12–18 months for first-time compliance, depending on complexity.