(9a) Functional Safety Basics

This paper provides a brief introduction to the basic concepts and vocabulary of functional safety as delineated in the functional safety standards IEC 61508, IEC 61511, and ANSI/ISA-61511. It is intended as a primer for AIChE 2023 Spring Meeting participants who may wish to attend the Panel Discussion entitled “Using Credible Failure Rates for SIS Ensures Process Safety” or those who are reading the panel discussion summary after the fact in the post-conference proceedings but feel they may not have adequate background to fully appreciate the topic. The material provided here should be sufficient for an attendee or reader who is somewhat unfamiliar with functional safety concepts to understand the information discussed in the panel session and the accompanying papers.