IEC 61508-7-2010 PDF

Full title and description

St IEC 61508-7:2010 — Functional safety of electrical/electronic/programmable electronic safety-related systems - Part 7: Overview of techniques and measures. This part of the IEC 61508 series provides an overview of techniques and measures that support the application of Parts 2 and 3, giving guidance on methods to control random hardware failures and to avoid systematic failures in E/E/PE safety-related systems.

Abstract

IEC 61508-7:2010 is an informative companion to the core safety requirements of IEC 61508. It aggregates and summarises practical techniques, design measures, lifecycle practices and example references for hardware and software reliability, diagnostics, redundancy, development processes and verification/validation activities. The document organises guidance into annexes that map techniques and measures to lifecycle phases and to the control of random and systematic faults.

General information

• Status: Current / Valid (part of the IEC 61508 series; edition 2010 is the active edition published in 2010 with stability indicated through 2027).
• Publication date: 30 April 2010 (Edition 2.0).
• Publisher: International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).
• ICS / categories: 25.040.40 (Industrial process measurement and control), 35.240.50 (IT applications in industry).
• Edition / version: Edition 2.0 (2010).
• Number of pages: 296 pages (IEC publication listing).

Scope

IEC 61508-7:2010 contains an overview of various safety techniques and measures relevant to the application of IEC 61508-2 (requirements for E/E/PE systems) and IEC 61508-3 (software requirements). The scope is informational: it references and summarises methods, tools and good-practice measures (hardware and software) that can be applied across the safety lifecycle to manage random hardware failures and to reduce systematic faults. The references given are illustrative and may not represent the full state of the art.

Key topics and requirements

• Control of random hardware failures — reliability techniques, diagnostic coverage, fault tolerance and redundancy strategies mapped to lifecycle phases.
• Avoidance of systematic failures — development process measures, design reviews, configuration and change control, competence and organisational practices.
• Software safety integrity guidance — lifecycle practices for specification, verification, validation, tool qualification and recommended software design practices (including object‑oriented considerations).
• Assessment of pre‑developed and legacy software components — probabilistic and evidence‑based approaches for reuse and integration.
• ASIC and hardware design measures — application‑specific recommendations where ASICs or custom hardware are part of safety functions.
• Cross‑referencing to relevant standards, bibliographies and example methods/tools useful for safety assessment and certification.

Typical use and users

IEC 61508-7 is used by functional safety engineers, system designers, software developers for safety-related systems, safety assessors, certification bodies, and project managers involved in the design, verification and validation of E/E/PE safety functions. It serves as a practical reference for selecting techniques and measures during requirements, design, implementation and maintenance activities and for preparing supporting evidence for safety cases or conformity assessments.

Related standards

Mainly other parts of the IEC 61508 series (Parts 1–6 cover scope, lifecycle, hardware, software and guidance). Closely related sector or complementary standards include IEC 61511 (functional safety — safety instrumented systems for the process industry), ISO 13849 and IEC 62061 (machine safety / control systems), plus numerous normative and informative references cited within Part 7 for hardware reliability, software engineering and quality processes. IEC 61508-7 is intended to be used alongside Parts 2 and 3 when implementing E/E/PE safety-related systems.

Keywords

Functional safety, E/E/PE, safety-related systems, techniques and measures, reliability, diagnostics, redundancy, systematic failures, software safety, safety lifecycle, IEC 61508, safety integrity.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: IEC 61508-7:2010 is Part 7 of the IEC 61508 series, providing an overview of techniques and measures for implementing functional safety in electrical/electronic/programmable electronic safety-related systems. It is an informative guidance document accompanying the prescriptive requirements in other parts of the series.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It summarises practical techniques and measures for controlling random hardware failures and avoiding systematic failures, gives guidance for software safety practices and reuse assessment, and cross-references relevant methods, tools and standards that support lifecycle activities from specification through validation.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Functional safety engineers, system and software designers, safety assessors, certification bodies, and project teams responsible for developing, verifying or assessing E/E/PE safety-related systems. It is also used as a reference by organizations developing internal safety processes and by educators in safety engineering.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: The 2010 edition (Edition 2.0) is the published edition referenced here and is listed as the active/current edition by IEC webstore; users should check national/regional bodies for identical/adopted versions (for example EN versions) and monitor IEC announcements for any later revisions.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes — it is Part 7 of the IEC 61508 series (Parts 1–7). Part 7 is informational and complements the normative requirements found in Parts 1 through 6.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: Functional safety, safety-related systems, E/E/PE, reliability, diagnostics, redundancy, systematic failure avoidance, software safety, safety lifecycle, safety integrity level (SIL).