The exida Scheme

Thursday, May 16, 2013

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Today I was asked: “What is the exida Scheme?”  If one person had this question, it is likely that others may be interested as well.  Therefore, I decided to take a moment and explain the exida structure.  Any Certification Body operates each product certification per a “scheme,” which references standards, notes or describes procedures, and any additional requirements of the standard. 

We at exida have our own Functional Safety Certification scheme to document our procedures which are audited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).  We also reference the IEC 61508 standard and document any interpretations of the standard.  Lastly, we take any controversial issues/interpretations before the exida Advisory Board to offer their insight on the issue.  The opinions…

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Certificate Forgery!

Thursday, May 09, 2013

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exida has discovered yet another forged functional safety certificate.  You can read about another occurrence in a previous blog entry.

The company name on the forged certificate is ISP SA DE CV, Cunduacan, Tab., Mex.  How could someone think this would not be checked?  exida maintains a list of valid certifications on the exida Safety Automation Element List.  This counterfeit certificate is not there.  While I suppose it is a compliment to see that the forgers want to use exida certificates as a base to start from, they should realize that exida’s accredited scheme has a means for anyone to quickly verify the validity of any certificate. 

…

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Which Edition of IEC 61508 is Relevant to Me?

Tuesday, May 07, 2013

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Simply stated, the 2nd edition of IEC 61508 is the relevant standard for newly developed products and new certifications.  This represents the current best practices on functional safety techniques and measures, and is what the marketplace expects for today’s products. 

Renewed certifications can use the 1st edition of IEC 61508 if that was the edition used when originally certified.  Certifications can be renewed using the 1st edition for up to nine years post- release of the 2nd edition.  Since the 2nd edition was released in 2010, exida will allow certification renewal under the 1st edition until 2019.  This takes into account the long lifespan of many certified products being used in the field.  Certificate owners may choose to renew…

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How Do You Certify to IEC 61508?

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

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As you may already know, when it comes to the certification of equipment according to IEC 61508, there are several 3rd party agencies from which to choose. It is obvious from reviewing different assessments on for example a solenoid, that the interpretation of IEC 61508 and thereby the assessment method, can be quite different from one agency to the next. Why is it that for a specific solenoid one 3rdparty comes up with a failure rate of 0.47 FIT and another 3rd party comes up with a failure rate of 300+ FIT? It’s the same product!!

A few months ago I was at a manufacturer who had an assessment done by exida, as well as another 3rd party. The failure…

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Practice Makes Perfect…Almost

Thursday, April 25, 2013

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How often do Managers see training budgets being cut, or personnel becoming blasé about training in general?  Isn’t it the norm that annual performance reviews involve reviewing training requirements?  Realistically, how often do these training requirements get ignored and/or forgotten about during the year?  The answer, I’m afraid, is all too often.

In the world of functional safety it’s essential that any and all personnel involved in safety have appropriate and adequate training, even if it’s just to keep up with the latest changes to the standards or industry trends.  For end users, the IEC 61511 standard is the key driver for process safety.  We at exida are always trying to promote training as a means of informing and educating…

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Setting up for FAILURE

Thursday, April 18, 2013

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Last week I was part of a conversation that made me really question why people (companies) would set themselves up for failure.  Is it lack of knowledge?  Lack of communication? Or maybe they are simply NEW to the process and don’t know what to expect.

But then I thought about it again and realized that our industry is going through a transition. 

When I go anywhere by car I follow a simple procedure: Ask for the location, get in the car, inform my phone (GPS) where I want to go, and I start driving to the location and never miss a beat.  I can’t even imagine what it was like before we even had road maps…

In today’s…

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The Human Element of Functional Safety (The Challenge)

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

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The analysis of past safety accidents was conducted primarily regionally, and with companies having an “experienced” workforce. Today the global economy is undergoing major shifts in manufacturing which is making the issue of finding, developing, and retaining experienced people more challenging than in the past. In “Brownfield” (developed) areas, like North America and Europe, it has been estimated that some 30% of the core knowledge staff within the process industries will retire within five years; taking a large amount of engineering and operating experience with them.¹ Additionally, a major petrochemical company expects 50% of its engineering workforce to retire in the next five years.²

Couple the shortage of experienced and knowledgeable workers with the way plants are being designed and…

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A 100% Pass Rate!

Wednesday, April 03, 2013

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I recently read a blog comment from an instructor in a well-known functional safety personnel certification program.  The instructor bragged that for the last X courses, 100% of the students passed.  In this program a course and an exam are developed by independent consultants who give the course, give the exam, and grade the exam.  The certification agency collects the names and issues a certificate based on the pass/fail information from the instructor.  Is there a real conflict of interest here?  Is the 100% pass rate a metric that one should brag about?

This kind of program violates many of the requirements of ISO 17024, the international standard for personnel certification programs.  These requirements in ISO 17024 exist for good…

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Define the Safety Function for a Better Certification

Monday, March 11, 2013

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When a product is getting certified for functional safety, it is essential to have a clear understanding of the safety function.  First, let’s be clear what is meant by the safety function.  IEC 61508-4 describes a safety function as a “function to be implemented by a safety-related system or other risk reduction measures, that is intended to achieve or maintain a safe state for the equipment under control . . .”

The manufacturer of a product may tend to include all the model variations and configurations. After all, the certification process involves significant resources. They want to be sure not to repeat the effort in 12 months just to include another variation.

But the downside to this is a more…

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Why Personnel Functional Safety Certification Programs are Needed

Friday, February 22, 2013

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The publication of the international functional safety standards IEC 61508 (1999), IEC 61511 / ISA-84 (2004) and IEC 62061 (2005) were significant milestones in the effort to increase equipment and process safety. ^1,2,3  Unfortunately, the release of safety standards does not by itself make the world a safer place.

Analysis of past process safety incidents underscores the role that people can play in preventing these accidents. A study by the UK’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE) showed that most safety incidents could have been prevented.  It found that the number one cause of accidents was incorrect and incomplete design specification (44%). Another 15% was from improper design & implementation. The study also found that a significant percentage of…

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It’s Just a Little Change…

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

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Once there was a laundry room with old, worn-out linoleum floor.  It was functional but did not have the look and feel of newer homes.  The lady of the house decided to replace the flooring with new ceramic tile.  She engaged her husband with the idea, outlining the benefits of this enhancement, and coaxed him to agree.  While tedious and time consuming, he was willing to save some money and do the work himself.  The material was selected and ordered.  When installation time arrived, the washer and dryer had to be moved out temporarily, which required some effort as the appliances just barely fit through the narrow doorway.  The husband removed the old floor, placed the alignment marks down, and…

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2012 - Good Progress for Cybersecurity and Functional Safety

Thursday, December 20, 2012

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I think it is wise for individuals to periodically review things. I like to do my professional review at the end of the year. 2012 was a good year.

Product Certification

Over 60 new products received functional safety or cybersecurity certification this year. Those products and more can be found on our Safety Automation Element List. Most significant to me are the new product categories including:

• Microprocessors
• Integrated circuits
• Middleware packages
• Complete safety systems

Many new manufacturers are using exida as their functional safety Certification Body. Even manufacturers who have an older certificate from another agency have come to exida for FMEDA analysis or new certificates.

exida Certification has expanded its scope…

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Tool Qualification and Safety Standards

Thursday, November 29, 2012

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When building a product such as an anti-lock braking system for an automobile, or a railroad, or process control safety system, making sure that the product works as specified is a big part of functional safety. When it is time for the system to engage to prevent an accident, you need to know that the system is going to work almost all of the time. One area that is often overlooked in the effort to ensure that the system works properly is the effects of software tools used in the development process. Examples of such tools include:

• Compilers
• Static checkers
• Verification tools
• Test automation tools

Since these tools are usually purchased from a third party, they are normally…

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Certification Accreditation

Thursday, November 15, 2012

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I am often asked “who says exida can certify a product?”  The best answer is of course “the marketplace.”  End user owner/operators ask for an exida certificate because they understand why technical competency is so important when evaluating design quality.  Then instrumentation manufacturers get an exida certificate because exida analysts help them create a safer, more reliable product.  That is the free market at work.  But certification is something people depend on therefore there is an accreditation program for product certifiers. 

Most countries have an “Accreditation Body (AB)” that audits the “Certification Body (CB)” per a particular set of standards and “scheme owner” requirements.  The fundamental standard for a product certification program has been IEC Guide 65/EN45051. A new…

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How to Decode an exida IEC 61508 Certificate: Part 2

Thursday, October 04, 2012

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Click here to read Part 1

Now that you know the step-by-step process of product certification, now let’s take a look at the actual information on the certificate. 

In the left panel (gray background) you will find an exida certification logo.  The logo contains information on the standard used for certification as well as the SIL Capabiliy.  The left panel also includes the FMEDA and assessment reports.  You want to reference these report numbers when requesting them from the manufacturer.  You can find the assessment report on the exida website however you’ll have to request the FMEDA report from the manufacturer.  I’ll get into why you need to request the FMEDA report…

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