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The Importance of Functional Safety Assessment and its Application
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6. Functional Safety Assessors
FSAs shall be undertaken by independent & competent resources. The competency of assessors
shall be subject to the basis of review of the technical knowledge, experience, training and
qualifications they possess. Appointment of the FS assessors are the responsibility of the
organisational management team.
In terms of IEC 61511, the functional safety standard requires that the membership of the assessment
team shall include at least one senior competent person.
Assessors may be identified with, but may not be limited to the following competencies
v
To have practical experience in undertaking activities for the specific phase(s) of the
safety lifecycle
v
To have knowledge and experience specific to the operating sector e.g. oil & gas
v
To have knowledge of the FS standards i.e. IEC 61508/61511 and its requirements
v
To have experience in the application of the chosen technology
v
To be trained and experienced on the application of FS processes for the specific
phase(s) of the safety lifecycle
v
Personnel trained and/or experienced in auditing techniques may be of added
advantage
v
Knowledge of other safety regulations would be an additional desirable competency
7. Level of Independence
One of the primary requirement for any functional safety assessment is the minimum levels of
independence of the FS assessors.
IEC 61508 Ed2 part 1, identifies that the minimum level of independence of those carrying out a
functional safety assessment shall be as specified in accordance with table 4 and / or table 5.