IEC 61508-2-2010 PDF

Full title and description

IEC 61508-2:2010 — Functional safety of electrical/electronic/programmable electronic safety-related systems — Part 2: Requirements for electrical/electronic/programmable electronic safety-related systems. This part of the IEC 61508 series specifies requirements for the design, manufacture and validation of E/E/PE safety‑related systems (hardware and system-level requirements); software requirements are addressed separately in IEC 61508-3.

Abstract

Part 2 of IEC 61508 (2nd edition, 2010) provides lifecycle and technical requirements specific to electrical, electronic and programmable electronic (E/E/PE) elements of safety‑related systems. It shows how to refine system safety requirements from IEC 61508-1 into detailed E/E/PE design requirements, sets measures and techniques graded by Safety Integrity Level (SIL), and specifies information needed for installation, commissioning, validation and modification of E/E/PE systems.

General information

• Status: Current (2nd edition, technical revision of the 1998 edition); basic safety publication; stability date indicated by IEC through 2027.
• Publication date: 30 April 2010.
• Publisher: International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).
• ICS / categories: 25.040.40 (Functional safety / Safety-related systems).
• Edition / version: Edition 2.0 (2010).
• Number of pages: 187 pages (official IEC publication).

Scope

IEC 61508-2:2010 applies to any safety‑related system that contains at least one electrical, electronic or programmable electronic element and is applicable to all hardware elements within an E/E/PE safety‑related system (sensors, actuators, interfaces and system hardware). It specifies how to derive E/E/PE system design requirements from the system safety requirements (from IEC 61508-1), and sets requirements for design, manufacture, installation, commissioning, validation and the preparation of user information and modification activities for E/E/PE systems; software-specific requirements are handled in IEC 61508-3.

Key topics and requirements

• E/E/PE system safety lifecycle requirements (design input to validation) and lifecycle activities for hardware.
• Refinement of system safety requirements into detailed E/E/PE design requirements.
• Safety Integrity Levels (SIL): techniques and measures graded by required SIL.
• Hardware architecture constraints and rules for achieving maximum SIL for given architectures and subsystems.
• Quantification of random hardware failures, reliability data assumptions and diagnostic coverage considerations (including SFF).
• Measures to avoid and control systematic faults through lifecycle activities and recommended techniques.
• Requirements for installation, commissioning, final safety validation and user documentation for operation and maintenance.
• Requirements for modification management and for the use of proven‑in‑use elements and safety‑related data communications.

Typical use and users

Used by functional safety engineers, OEMs, system integrators, control‑system architects, safety assessors and certification bodies to design, manufacture, verify and validate safety functions implemented in E/E/PE technologies. Typical application domains include industrial process control, safety instrumented systems, machine safety, railway signalling subsystems and power/smart grid protection systems.

Related standards

IEC 61508-2 is one part of the IEC 61508 family. Closely related parts include IEC 61508-1 (general requirements and framework), IEC 61508-3 (software requirements), IEC 61508-4 (definitions and abbreviations), IEC 61508-6 (guidance on Part 2 and Part 3) and other parts that together cover the complete functional safety lifecycle. Various national/adopted versions (EN, GB/T, etc.) exist that are identical or based on IEC 61508-2:2010.

Keywords

Functional safety, E/E/PE, safety-related systems, safety integrity level, SIL, hardware requirements, safety lifecycle, validation, diagnostics, proven-in-use, IEC 61508, basic safety publication.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: IEC 61508-2:2010 is Part 2 of the IEC 61508 series and contains the requirements specific to electrical/electronic/programmable electronic safety‑related systems (hardware and system-level requirements).

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers the refinement of system safety requirements into E/E/PE design requirements, hardware lifecycle activities, architecture constraints, failure quantification, measures for avoiding systematic faults, and information needed for installation, commissioning, validation and modification of E/E/PE safety‑related systems. Software requirements are covered in IEC 61508-3.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Functional safety engineers, manufacturers and suppliers of E/E/PE safety equipment, system integrators, safety assessors, certification bodies and maintenance/commissioning teams.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: The document in question is the 2nd edition published 30 April 2010; it replaced the original 1998 edition and is maintained as the current IEC 61508-2 edition (IEC indicates stability planning through 2027). Supplementary test/report forms and guidance documents referencing the 2010 edition have been published subsequently.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes — IEC 61508 is a multi‑part international standard. Part 2 is focused on E/E/PE requirements and is used together with Parts 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 to address the full functional safety lifecycle.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: Functional safety; E/E/PE; SIL; safety lifecycle; hardware architecture; diagnostics; systematic faults; validation; user information.