IEC 61508-3-2010 PDF

Full title and description

Functional safety of electrical/electronic/programmable electronic safety-related systems — Part 3: Software requirements (IEC 61508-3:2010). Part 3 specifies the software lifecycle, development and verification requirements, and tool and documentation expectations for software that forms part of a safety-related E/E/PE system.

Abstract

IEC 61508-3:2010 (Part 3 of the IEC 61508 series) defines normative requirements for the specification, design, implementation, verification, validation, modification and maintenance of software used in safety-related electrical/electronic/programmable electronic (E/E/PE) systems. It emphasises a safety lifecycle approach, measures and techniques graded by required safety integrity (SIL), requirements for support tools, and the information to be provided to system integrators and users for safety validation and operation. The part is intended to be used together with Parts 1 and 2 of IEC 61508.

General information

• Status: Current (second edition, 2010; stability date indicated by IEC through 2027).
• Publication date: 30 April 2010 (2010-04-30).
• Publisher: International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).
• ICS / categories: 25.040.40 (Industrial process measurement and control / functional safety).
• Edition / version: Edition 2.0 (2010).
• Number of pages: 234 (IEC base publication page count; national/adopted EN versions may show different page counts depending on formatting).

Scope

Applies to any software that is part of, or used to develop, an E/E/PE safety‑related system covered by IEC 61508‑1 and IEC 61508‑2. It sets requirements for the specification of software safety functions and their systematic capability, lists lifecycle activities and techniques graded by SIL, gives requirements for tool qualification and for the preparation of information needed for installation, commissioning and safety validation, and includes requirements to be met by organisations carrying out software modifications. It is not intended to replace sector‑specific standards, but to provide the generic software requirements on which sector standards are built.

Key topics and requirements

• Software safety lifecycle activities: specification, architectural design, detailed design, implementation, verification, validation and maintenance.
• Techniques and measures graded by required Safety Integrity Level (SIL) to control systematic faults and support verification.
• Requirements for tool qualification and the treatment of tools used in development, testing, configuration management and translation.
• Traceability and configuration management: requirements linking requirements, design, implementation and test artifacts.
• Verification and validation: reviews, static analysis, unit/integration/system testing, and acceptance criteria tailored to SIL.
• Requirements for software modification/change control and the information to be provided to system integrators and users for safety validation, installation and commissioning.
• Guidance on systematic capability (process capability) and how development processes, techniques and measures contribute to systematic safety.

Typical use and users

Used by software and safety engineers, system architects, product developers, system integrators, certification and conformity assessment bodies, and organisations seeking to develop or demonstrate software for safety‑related E/E/PE systems across industries (process, machinery, energy, transportation and others). It is also referenced by organisations creating sector‑specific functional safety standards and by tool vendors and assessors involved in tool qualification.

Related standards

IEC 61508-3 is part of the IEC 61508 family (Parts 1–7). It is the generic software baseline for many sector standards and guidance documents, including IEC 61511 (process industry safety instrumented systems), IEC 62304 (medical device software lifecycle), ISO 26262 (automotive functional safety, derivative), IEC 62061 and ISO 13849 (machinery), and standards addressing cybersecurity and safety assurance. Sector and national adoptions exist (EN/BS/NF/UNE versions) that incorporate or adopt the IEC text.

Keywords

functional safety; software requirements; safety integrity level; SIL; safety lifecycle; software verification; validation; tool qualification; E/E/PE systems; IEC 61508.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: IEC 61508-3:2010 is Part 3 of the IEC 61508 series and contains the normative software requirements for software that is part of safety‑related E/E/PE systems.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers the software lifecycle (from requirements through maintenance), the methods and measures required to control systematic faults in software, tool qualification, verification/validation practices, documentation and the information to be supplied for system safety validation and operation.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Software developers for safety‑related products, safety and systems engineers, integrators, certification bodies and organisations that need to demonstrate or assess software compliance with functional safety requirements across multiple industries.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: The edition published in 2010 is the second edition (IEC edition 2.0) and is the current IEC base publication; IEC lists a stability date indicating the publication is expected to remain valid through 2027. National/adopted versions (EN/BS/AFNOR, etc.) were issued after the IEC publication.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes — IEC 61508 is a multipart standard (Parts 1–7) covering general requirements, hardware/system requirements, software requirements (Part 3), definitions, examples/methods and guidance. Part 3 is intended to be used together with Parts 1 and 2.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: Functional safety, software requirements, safety integrity level (SIL), safety lifecycle, tool qualification, verification and validation, E/E/PE safety‑related systems.