Functional Safety Starter Kit: Documentation Tools & Guidelines

What is the Functional Safety Starter Kit?

The Functional Safety Starter Kit is a tool package that consists of a set of document templates and guidelines created by a multidisciplinary team of TÜV SÜD experts. It was developed to act as a comprehensive guide for manufacturers of electrical/electronic/programmable electronic components or systems (E/E/PE systems) looking to align their safety policy and documentation according to IEC 61508 or other functional safety certification standards during the product development phase.

Furthermore, the Safety Starter Kit tools aim to provide you with an overview and understanding of the functional safety standards that must be met to ensure compliance, along with an action plan. By following this functional safety assessment checklist, manufacturers can develop an overall safety concept, meet safety requirements, and obtain functional safety certification for their products.

Why is the Functional Safety Starter Kit an important tool for E/E/PE system manufacturers?

By using the Functional Safety Starter Kit tools and guidelines, you as a manufacturer can:

• Align your safety policy and document according to IEC 61508 and other safety standards for certification
• Ensure compliance from the development phase onwards and optimise your functional safety management
• Identify and assess potential hazards and risks in advance to minimise hazardous states of your product and avoid environmental damage
• Avoid non-compliance issues, like costly and time-consuming reworks
• Understand all documentation needed for IEC 61058 compliance

TÜV SÜD’s Functional Safety Starter Kit helps you to obtain IEC 61508 certification

As a global third-party quality and assurance provider with decades of experience, TÜV SÜD has developed a practical guideline which supports you right from the development phase, to ensure that your products meet relevant functional safety standards. Based on the functional safety lifecycle, according to the standard IEC 61508-1, the tools included in the safety kit assist you in the management of functional safety, with the objective of defining the necessary activities and responsibilities.

By following the systematic approach and action plan provided, manufacturers can facilitate the smooth communication, coordination, planning and monitoring of their safety-related activities.

Our Safety Kit tools to support your functional safety certification

We support you with a comprehensive Safety Kit tool package:

• Safety checklists and best practices

The Safety Kit includes a range of important safety checklists and considerations to give you a thorough overview of the safety features you will need to utilise to ensure compliance, along with accompanying risks and suggestions for improving existing conditions.

• Documentation assistance

The Safety Kit includes tools that assist you in the accurate documentation and reporting of all activities, as per certification guidelines, to save time and prevent the necessity of rewriting or renewing documents, or even reworking your products.

The graphic shows an example of a possible functional safety kit tool package: