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Basics
Functional Safety
Automation and safety engineering are 2 areas that were separate in the past but have recently
become more and more integrated.
The engineering and installation of complex automation solutions are greatly simplified by
integrated safety functions.
Usually, the safety engineering requirements depend on the application.
The level of requirement results from the risk and the hazard potential arising from the specific
application.
IEC 61508 Standard
The standard IEC 61508 functional safety of electrical/electronic/programmable electronic safety-
related systems covers the safety-related function.
Instead of a single component, an entire function chain (for example, from a sensor through the
logical processing units to the actuator) is considered as a unit.
This function chain must meet the requirements of the specific safety integrity level as a whole.
Systems and components that can be used in various applications for safety tasks with comparable
risk levels can be developed on this basis.
ISO13849 Standard or IEC62061 Standard
Designers can follow either EN ISO 13849-1 or EN 62061 to demonstrate conformity with the
Directive 2006/42/EC on machinery. These 2 new standards consider not only whether a fault will
occur, but also how likely it is to occur.
This means that there is a quantifiable, probabilistic element in compliance: machine builders must
be able to determine whether their safety circuit meets the required Safety Integrity Level (SIL) or
Performance Level (PL). Panel builders and designers should be aware that manufacturers of the
components used in safety circuits (such as safety detection components, safety logic solvers, and
output devices like contactors) must provide detailed data on their products.
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