IEC 61508
What is IEC 61508?
IEC 61508 is the international basic standard for the functional safety of electrical, electronic and programmable electronic systems. It describes how risks are assessed and safety functions are developed so that dangerous failures are avoided or managed safely.
What is the goal of IEC 61508?
The goal of IEC 61508 is to create a structured framework for the development of safety-related systems. This includes the assessment of risks, the definition of safety functions, a safe response to disruptions, and verification and validation to provide evidence.
A central concept is the Safety Integrity Level (SIL). It describes how reliably a safety function must operate in an emergency. The levels range from SIL 1 to SIL 4 – the higher the SIL value, the lower the probability of a dangerous failure.
- SIL 1 = basic risk reduction
- SIL 2 = significant risk reduction
- SIL 3 = high risk reduction
- SIL 4 = very high or extremely high risk reduction
What does this mean for the field of electrically driven vehicles and machines?
For companies in the field of electrically driven vehicles and machines, IEC 61508 is an important basis for developing safe control and protection systems. In practice, the goal is to clearly specify safety functions, select appropriate hardware and system architectures, and verify that the required safety level is achieved.
Many other safety standards build on IEC 61508. Therefore, it is particularly relevant for manufacturers who must systematically consider functional safety in development, design, and validation.
Synonyms:
- IEC 61508
- Basic standard of functional safety
- Basic standard for functional safety
- Functional Safety Standard
- Standard for Safety Integrity Level (SIL)
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