Digitalization and automation have transformed the way humans and machines interact across the industrial environment, and burgeoning technological advances promise new manufacturing norms.

Functional safety is part of the overall safety of the machine and the machine control system that depends on the correct functioning of the Safety-related Control System (SCS) and other risk reduction measures.

Ensuring functional safety standards are met involves going beyond traditional product safety assessments to identify the new types of hazards brought about by modern manufacturing methods and providing protection against them.

Functional safety still has a vital role to play in protecting users in today’s fast-moving industrial landscape. In many ways, functional safety standards have never been more important. Consider the ongoing progression of autonomous vehicle technology, or the medical implants and devices governed by the Internet of Things (IoT) data feeds. Failure in these realms could have catastrophic repercussions. Even manufacturers of seemingly innocuous products or components must embed functional safety principles, to protect users from injury from misuse or accident.

Traditional safety assessments deal with potential hazards from electrical, mechanical, and other design aspects that may occur during usage. Functional safety, however, focuses on the capability of the product to perform correctly and safely. This includes likely operator error and hardware and software failure, as well as environmental stress.

Through a process of risk analysis and verification, manufacturers, importers, and resellers can offer consumers an acceptable level of protection, minimizing the severity and probability of harm should malfunction occur.

Functional Safety Standards

Taking a standards-based approach is the most efficient way for manufacturers to embed functional safety in their design and production operations.

BS EN ISO 13849 standard is one of many that cover the safety of machines. It specifically gives the most up-to-date guidelines to prevent failure of the safety functions. It outlines characteristics, including the performance level required for carrying out safety functions applicable to SRP/CS for high demand and continuous mode, regardless of the type of technology and energy used (electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, mechanical).

BS EN 61508 is a seven-part series of standards that contains a set of requirements that can help manufacturers apply, design, deploy and maintain appropriate safety systems to reduce failures while making compliance with safety regulation more straightforward.

These manufacturing safety standards are becoming increasingly important because of the level of complexity, automation, and autonomy the manufacturing sector has introduced in recent years to systems that have until now been relatively simple. Amidst the rapid change driving our current industrial revolution, manufacturers must meet new market demand; consumers want things more quickly and at lower cost – while also expecting improved functionality and interconnectivity.

To read more about adopting digital technology in manufacturing, click here.

Meanwhile, the BS EN 61511 series, which has two parts, provides guidance to ensure that the safety instrumented systems (SIS) that protect critical processes are functionally safe.

The combined application of these standards can go a long way to embed a functional safety culture that will help manufacturers mitigate risk, reduce over-engineering (which saves money and materials) and increase trust amongst customers and stakeholders. It also drives continual improvement, ensuring the right safety levels are maintained in the lifecycle of a particular product or system.

More broadly, managing risks within the manufacturing supply chain can help ensure the functional safety of products. Relevant in all markets and sectors, standard BS ISO 31000:2018 has been developed specifically for people who create and protect value in organizations by managing risks, making decisions, setting and achieving objectives, and improving performance. Standard BS ISO 44001 can also help organizations mitigate risk, as it specifies requirements for the effective identification, development, and management of collaborative business relationships within or between organizations, ensuring crucial knowledge of processes is shared.

There is no doubt that using standards can ensure functional safety, building crucial trust between you and the rest of your supply chain. With a BSI Knowledge subscription, safety management is at your fingertips with instant access to best practice documents related to the manufacturing industry. It puts the control in your hands, with traceability to monitor and demonstrate your business's access to standards, and self-serve functionality that enables you to manage your subscriptions, standards, users, and content quickly and simply. Request to learn more.

The Future of Manufacturing Safety Standards

The future factory will also need to embrace a high degree of functional safety – ensuring that safety systems and equipment perform predictably and correctly in response to likely user input changes.

Further to BS EN 61511, PD IEC TR 63074 provides guidance around security threats and vulnerabilities that could negatively influence the functional safety intended by specific safety-related control systems for machinery. PD IEC TR 63069 also outlines a framework for functional safety and cybersecurity for industrial-process measurement, control, and automation.

Ensure the functional safety of your manufacturing processes by adding these functional safety standards to your collection today.