Functional Safety Training
Core & Specialist Programmes — Open Enrolment & Corporate Delivery Worldwide
Practitioner-led functional safety engineering training to IEC 61511 and IEC 61508 for engineers and managers in oil and gas, chemicals, power generation and other high hazard industries. Our programmes develop the competencies required to lead and technically assure all principal safety lifecycle phases, from hazard and risk assessment and SIL determination through SIS design, quantitative verification and functional safety lifecycle management.
Fundamentals of Functional Safety Engineering
A three day foundation programme introducing functional safety engineering to IEC 61508 and IEC 61511, developing a working understanding of the safety lifecycle, SIL concepts, hazard and risk assessment methods and the fundamental requirements for safety instrumented system design.
Programme Overview
Safety instrumented systems are the last line of automated defence against process hazards in refineries, chemical plants, offshore platforms and power generation facilities. When they fail to operate on demand (or operate spuriously when they should not) the consequences range from costly production loss to catastrophic loss of containment. The IEC 61508 and IEC 61511 standards exist to ensure that these systems are designed, implemented and managed with the rigour that their safety function demands. Professionals who lack a working understanding of these standards cannot contribute effectively to the design, verification or management of safety instrumented systems, regardless of their technical experience in other disciplines. This foundation programme introduces functional safety engineering to IEC 61508 and IEC 61511, developing participants' working understanding of the functional safety lifecycle, safety integrity level concepts, hazard and risk assessment methods, and the fundamental requirements for safety instrumented system design and verification. The programme is structured to build competence progressively: from the principles of functional safety and the structure of the standards, through the safety lifecycle phases, to the practical application of SIL concepts in hazard and risk assessment and the basic requirements for SIS design. It is designed for engineers and technical professionals who need to engage credibly with functional safety work, as contributors to HAZOP and LOPA studies, as reviewers of SIS designs, or as the next generation of functional safety engineers building towards advanced competence. Organisations benefit from a broader base of professionals who understand functional safety requirements, can contribute meaningfully to safety lifecycle activities and recognise when specialist expertise is required, reducing the risk of functional safety gaps going undetected until they become incidents.
Programme Topics
Introduction to functional safety: key concepts, terminology and the functional safety lifecycle; The relationship between IEC 61508 and IEC 61511 and their application across industries
IEC 61508 and IEC 61511 frameworks: structure, scope and key requirements; Understanding obligations for equipment manufacturers, system integrators and end users
Hazard and risk assessment: hazard identification and risk assessment approaches; Determining the required risk reduction; Methods for safety integrity level selection
Safety integrity levels: SIL 1 to 4 definitions; Target failure measures; Risk reduction factors; Understanding the relationship between SIL and system performance requirements
Safety instrumented system design fundamentals: system architecture and redundancy concepts; Hardware and software requirements; Key design parameters and their influence on system integrity
Verification, validation and functional safety management: proof testing and validation principles; Functional safety management documentation; Competence and lifecycle management requirements under IEC 61508 and IEC 61511
Learning Outcomes
- Explain the principles of functional safety and the role of safety instrumented systems
- Identify the requirements of IEC 61508 and IEC 61511 and how they apply across industries
- Apply the safety lifecycle concept from hazard identification through to decommissioning
- Explain Safety Integrity Level (SIL) determination and what it means in practice
- Identify the roles and competence requirements for functional safety practitioners
- Contribute effectively to functional safety activities as part of a project or operations team
Who Should Attend
- Engineers and I&C professionals new to functional safety
- Process safety practitioners seeking SIS knowledge
- Engineers working on projects involving SIL-rated systems
- Operations staff responsible for safety system testing and maintenance
Upcoming Dates
Corporate Delivery
Both functional safety programmes are available for in-house delivery, tailored to your organisation's SIS portfolio, regulatory context and engineering team.
Discuss corporate deliveryFunctional Safety Competency Pathway
From first introduction to IEC 61511 through to SIS design and lifecycle management — structured around the competency requirements for Functional Safety Engineers and Functional Safety Managers.
Fundamentals of Functional Safety Engineering
A three day foundation programme introducing functional safety engineering to IEC 61508 and IEC 61511, developing a working understanding of the safety lifecycle, SIL concepts, hazard and risk assessment methods and the fundamental requirements for safety instrumented system design.
Functional Safety Engineering Best Practice
An advanced five-day programme providing a comprehensive treatment of functional safety engineering best practice to IEC 61511 (Parts 1, 2 and 3) and IEC 61508, covering the full safety lifecycle from hazard and risk assessment and SIL determination through SIS design, safety requirements specification, hardware fault tolerance, quantitative SIL verification, software safety integrity, functional safety validation, management of change, functional safety assessment and lifecycle management. Structured around the competency requirements for Functional Safety Engineers and Functional Safety Managers.