Functional Safety - Approved Company Certification

The Sira Company Certification Scheme certifies that your company has the capability to supply safety-related products and services that conform to the requirements of IEC 61508.

The scope of the certification covers your management system for functional safety and the lifecycle activities that are appropriate to what you supply (for example, SIL determination, hardware/software development, product manufacture, systems integration, installation, maintenance, etc). These aspects are often referred to as 'Functional Safety Capability.'

This prestigious certification is highly respected in the market and marks the client out as a serious supplier with the capability to ensure functional safety is achieved for every deliverable.

Sira’s Approved Company certificates bear the UKAS mark, which is recognised internationally.

The Assessment

The assessment considers the policy, objectives and procedures that govern functional safety and how these are implemented throughout the organisation. The management of competence for safety-related systems is an important element.
 
The scope of the assessment does not cover the specific products (in the case where developers or manufacturers are assessed) but rather the generic processes that support them.

Once Approved Company certification is achieved, obtaining Approved Product certifications (if these are subsequently required) is much more straightforward as the lifecycle and management aspects are already approved.

The assessment does not duplicate work already covered under an appropriate quality management scheme, such as ISO 9001, but concentrates on the additional requirements for functional safety.

We can approach assessments at a number of levels of detail and cost that suit the clients’ circumstances. We recommend the 3-level approach below, however we are capable of offering bespoke service packages if you have specific requirements.

• Training - As part of our training course on IEC 61508 and its sector standards we can allocate a part of each training day to a session where the client’s own processes and systems can be discussed informally so that some understanding can be reached as to where they stand in relation to compliance with the standard.
   
• Pre-Assessment - This normally requires an on-site visit and can take up to five or six man days for the assessment of hardware and software capability. We conduct structured interviews and discussions with management and hardware and software engineering staff.
  
  The pre-assessment is conducted on the basis of what emerges during the meetings, which normally takes place during an intensive two-day visit. Typically, the visit ends with a presentation of our findings and a discussion of the future course of action.
  
  A detailed report is then prepared after the pre-assessment visit and sent to the client.
   
• Full Assessment - Of the client’s processes using Parts 1-3 of IEC 61508 which is conducted after any remedial actions from the pre-assessment are done. This work covers the relevant phases of the safety lifecycle and examines evidence of how it is applied to a particular product or system.
  
  The assessment can typically take several man-days and involves a detailed examination of the relevant documentary evidence. Each aspect of the client’s processes is examined against the criteria of the relevant standard, with reference to the CASS methodology. If non-conformances are identified, we can advise on the most appropriate interpretation of the standards to assist the client in deciding on the best course of remedial action until the assessment is complete.
  
  On completion of the full assessment we issue a detailed report which provides the supporting evidence to enable the wording of the certificate to be framed accurately and appropriately.

             A draft certificate is prepared for the client’s comments before it is finalised and formally issued.

            
Next Steps

Sira can issue fixed price quotations for Company Certification. To obtain a formal quotation, please fill in the relevant sections of the request for quotation form, a copy of which can be downloaded  by clicking here