It is evident that the emergence of new technologies for process automation in the industrial sector has made operations safer. However, when we talk about environments where any effort falls short in this regard, as they involve considerable dangers, functional safety becomes essential.
In fact, today it is impossible to understand the industrial sector without the application of functional safety systems. And when we refer to this field, we mean all the segments that compose it. However, the application of these practices can vary significantly depending on the context and circumstances.
WHAT IS FUNCTIONAL SAFETY ABOUT?
What characterizes functional safety is its adaptability to the operational scenario it aims to serve. We refer to the system dedicated to ensuring the integrity of high-risk processes, relying on the flawless operation of electrical, electronic, and programmable electronic systems designed for this purpose.
In this sense, this branch of safety focuses on the hypothetical occurrence of problems stemming from hardware or software failures, human errors, or even changes in the environment. Furthermore, when applying appropriate protection systems, it is essential to consider that the complexity of the process corresponds to the level of risks it poses.
HOW IS FUNCTIONAL SAFETY REGULATED?
There are specific regulations created to address the proper application of industrial safety in various sectors, such as the IEC 61508 standard or ISO 26262. These are documents that organizations must follow and implement in their facilities, systems, and processes to ensure the integrity of operations and the personnel involved in their development.
EVALUATION AND CLASSIFICATION OF RISKS IN FUNCTIONAL SAFETY
To guarantee this integrity, constant assessments and analyses are carried out within functional safety. Systems are used to classify risks to reduce, mitigate, or ideally eliminate them altogether. But how are risks identified and classified in each part of the systems?
Various parameters come into play, some more general, such as inherent risk, residual risk, tolerable risk, accepted risk, or unacceptable risk. Others are more specific, aiming to define these levels more precisely based on the degree of danger.
On one hand, there is the SIL classification, which stands for Safety Integrity Level, ranging from SIL1 to SIL4 based on the level of risk, with the latter being the highest and applied only in highly hazardous installations, such as nuclear or petrochemical plants.
On the other hand, there is the PL (Performance Level) classification, ranging from PLa to PLe, depending on the level of danger, primarily focused on machinery evaluation and determined by ISO 13849.
PRIMARY AREAS OF FUNCTIONAL SAFETY APPLICATION
Through risk analysis and classifications, functional safety creates new systems to optimize existing protection levels. Before implementing the relevant improvements definitively, they are gradually planned, designed, implemented, and validated. The process operates in this way regardless of the field of action, but operations vary significantly depending on the sector.
ENERGY SOURCES
Functional safety plays a crucial role in any process or installation related to energy generation. Electrical systems are one of the primary fields of application for this practice, aiming to maintain the integrity of all elements and protect both users and the facilities themselves.
AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY
The automotive industry is one of the sectors where functional safety is most evident. It provides the best way to understand this process, even for those unfamiliar with the subject. It encompasses all applications that ensure the safe operation of a vehicle, from airbags to ABS, as well as adequate security locks on doors and windows, among other examples.
HEALTHCARE SECTOR
The integration of technology into the healthcare sector has saved millions of lives and improved countless others. However, functional safety is essential in this context to ensure the proper functioning of machines and establish response protocols and automation in case of errors.
MACHINERY AND FACILITIES
Machinery is at the core of the industrial sector, increasingly present in companies of all sizes, as are installations dedicated to process automation. In this case, the applications of functional safety are again directed towards protecting the devices and the people interacting with them.
ELEVATORS AND LIFTS
Another everyday element in homes, shopping centers, office buildings, industry, or public sectors like healthcare and education is the elevator. Its use is so routine that we rarely think about the entire system behind it to ensure safety in case of failures during operation.
CHEMICAL, PETROCHEMICAL, AND NUCLEAR PLANTS
Avoiding certain mixtures and compounds is of vital importance in specific industrial environments that handle chemicals and nuclear elements. In this context, the proper operation of certain opening and closing mechanisms, such as valves, is one of the many applications of functional safety.
TRANSPORTATION
Every day, millions of people rely on public transportation to get from one point to another. Functional safety, once again, ensures the users’ safety through the relevant risk assessment and classification, resulting in system optimization.
FUNCTIONAL SAFETY AS AN INTRINSIC FACTOR IN THE INDUSTRIAL SECTOR
Aware of the importance of functional safety in various industries, Positive Engineering offers its services to all types of organizations to ensure the integrity of their systems and the protection of their employees. While it is inherent in this field, safety can always be optimized through proper risk assessment.
