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Recorded Webinars: Psychometrics – Another Reason CFSE remains the Gold Standard
In today’s day and age, functional safety certificate and certification programs are becoming common. There are many to choose from with their own set of requirements and expectations. So how do we know which one to choose?
This webinar will go through the importance of selecting a program that best suits your needs and competency level. It will also give you the knowledge and ability to challenge those certification bodies and learn if you are receiving a true certification or simply just an expensive piece of paper.
Blog Entry: I Failed the CFSE Exam, HELP!
It is tough to receive an email with this message from a prospective CFSE candidate. I know that when I have failed exams, I want to understand what was wrong so I can study those areas of knowledge more deeply and try again. Given the recognition and prestige of the…
News Item: exida to host Functional Safety and Cybersecurity Symposium in Germany
Functional Safety and Cybersecurity have an impact on a lot of different domains. Nearly all of them face a fast-paced development regarding new technologies and concepts. In parallel, the 3rd revision of IEC 61508 referred to as the mother of all functional safety standards, will be revised. This standard needs…
Magnetrol International, Inc. - Eclipse 700GWR Level Transmitter
IEC 61508 in the Safety Automation Equipment List
Recorded Webinars: The Importance of Proof Testing
Proof Testing is often a misunderstood concept since a proof test is not designed to prove that a Safety Instrumented Function (SIF) is working. On the contrary, the purpose of the proof test is to help find potentially dangerous, undetected faults that the automatic diagnostics can’t find. The purpose here is to prevent failures on demand of the SIF, which can lead to accidents.
When it comes to SIFs, it’s normally the final elements that contribute the highest portion of potential failures on demand. The very nature and mechanical design of a valve means that automatic diagnostics are limited to intelligent valve positioners and not the valve itself. For this reason, it’s very important to follow the manufacturers recommendations regarding proof testing and the frequency of the testing since a poorly written and/or executed proof test will increase the probability of failing on demand instead of reducing it.
The webinar will explore the importance and reasons why proof testing needs to be done, as well as the need to follow the Safety Requirements Specification (SRS) when it comes to the frequency of conducting proof testing. It emphasizes the importance of preventing failures on demand and looks at the impact on the overall probability of failing on demand for the SIF.
What you will learn?
- The importance of useful life
- How devices can fail
- The difference between random & systematic failures
- Why proof testing is important & the impact of imperfect proof testing
- What a proof test is and isn’t
Who should attend?
- SIS designers and Engineering contractors
- Operations and maintenance personnel
- Plant Managers and Supervisors
Blog Entry: Back to Basics: Failure Rates
Failure rates are the number of failures per unit time for a piece of equipment which are usually assumed to be a constant value. They can be broken down into several categories, such as safe and dangerous, detected and undetected, and independent/normal and common cause. Failure rates are often expressed…
Recorded Webinars: eRAVA: exida Remote Actuated Valve Assembly - Final Element Certification
Plant engineers know that many field failure reports show root cause due to errors in final element design and testing. A rigorous engineering process to design, verify, and test can catch errors in a remote actuated valve assembly before shipment and deployment. This rigorous process should also get credit for their practices. This webinar will show some example field failures and how they can be avoided by a rigorous integration process. The result is a decrease in realistic failure rate of the remote actuated valve assembly. This webinar will include examples and will show the positive impact on the risk reduction factor and SIL calcs.
Blog Entry: Bow Ties Part I: Great for Formal Occasions and for Risk Management
The bow tie methodology, originally developed by ICI in the late 1970’s, has seen increasing industry adoption over the last 20 years. Bow tie diagrams build on the “Swiss Cheese Model” of hazard escalation and causation popularized by James Reason. They provide a powerful means for visualizing how a company…
News Item: exida Announces Business Partnership with Total Plant
exida, a global supplier of functional safety products, services and certifications is pleased to announce a business partnership with Total Plant , a global company specialized in engineering, design, assessments, support to operations and maintenance with high focus on safety and reliability. “exida is delighted to partner with Total Plant…
Emerson Process Management Regulator Technologies, Inc. - BM9 Series Slam Shut Valve
IEC 61508 in the Safety Automation Equipment List
Recorded Webinars: How Do I “Manage” my Cybersecurity Management System?
Cybersecurity management has become a business imperative for organizations across many industries. The first attempt can result in mounds of unruly and often unhelpful paperwork. This problem can be emphasized by identifying the correct location of cybersecurity requirements: Is the correct file for documenting the firewall rules, the firewall policy overview, firewall installation procedure, the access control philosophy, the system zone & conduit diagram, or some combination of all the above?
With a Cybersecurity Management System (CSMS), one central document outlines the “what” an organization aims to achieve for cybersecurity and provides clear direction on where to find the procedures that outline the “how” for a given security task, leading to effective cybersecurity management and fewer headaches.
Blog Entry: Back to Basics 23 – Stiction
What is Stiction? Stiction is the resistance to the start of motion usually measured as the difference between the external force being applied in order to overcome the static friction and the force to maintain movement between the two contacting or working surfaces. It can result from: corrosion, cold welding,…
News Item: exida Certifies Gimpel Static Analyser Tool to SIL 4 & ASIL D
Gimpel Software LLC , the leading pioneer of static analysis solutions, has just received an ASIL D and SIL 4 certificate for PC-lint Plus from exida. With its vast capabilities as a comprehensive static analyzer, PC-lint Plus has achieved certification in both the ISO 26262 and the IEC 61508 standards.…
Blog Entry: Why Bother With Systematic Issues?
You may be wondering why this question is being asked? Isn’t it obvious that systematic issues are important and need to be considered? It may be that some of you reading this blog may not even understand what is meant by systematic issues. In which case, it may surprise you…
News Item: Valmet Automation Receives SDLA Certification Through exida
Sellersville, PA: The global leader in industrial automation cybersecurity certification, exida, has presented Valmet Automation with their Security Development Lifecycle Assurance Certification (SDLA) for their DNA Automation System. The Valmet DNA is a distributed control system for demanding process automation applications. Valmet now introduces a new web-based Valmet DNA User…
Blog Entry: Back to Basics 22 – Cycle Testing
A cycle test is done on a set of products (>20) until 10% of the units under test fail. The number of cycles is converted to a time period by knowing the cycles per hour in any particular application. A failure rate is calculated by dividing the 10% failure count…
Blog Entry: ISO 26262 Independence and Related Terms
The “ ISO 26262 Road vehicles – Functional safety ” specification defines the concepts of “Independence”, “Interference” and other terms which can be a little confusing. This discussion will try to make the concepts clearer. Independence Let’s talk about “Independence” and associated concepts first. “Independence” is a concept used within…
News Item: exida Joins ISA Global Cybersecurity Alliance
Sellersville, PA: The global leader in industrial automation cybersecurity consulting and certification services , exida, has joined the ISA Global Cybersecurity Alliance alongside founding members such as Schneider Electric, Rockwell Automation, and Honeywell. ISA created the Global Cybersecurity Alliance to advance cybersecurity readiness and awareness in manufacturing and critical infrastructure…
Blog Entry: Back to Basics 21 – The B10 Method
The B10 method uses cycle test data to predict failure rates. A cycle test is done on a set of products (>20) until 10% of the units under test fail. The number of cycles until failure is called the B10 point. The B10 number of cycles is converted to a…
Training Course: Automotive Cybersecurity
This 1.5 day course is designed to give an overview of automotive cybersecurity providing an introduction to the relationship between cybersecurity & functional safety, automotive cybersecurity standards, management, process and planning aspects, TARA (Threat Analysis and Risk Assessment), as well as understanding cybersecurity goals and threats. Cybersecurity principles and the…