IEC 61508 Certification Course

Risknowlogy

Want to become a certified safety system FS Specialist, FS Engineer or FS Professional according to IEC 61508? Then this is the right course for you.

Safety systems play a majorly important role in many industries worldwide. Yet over 90% of the safety functions worldwide are not SIL compliant.

This training course teaches you how IEC 61508 applies functional safety to safety-related systems. You can participate in the associated exam and earn a knowledge certificate with this newly acquired knowledge.

If you want to learn how to make safety functions functionally safe, and help industries around the world implement safety functions correctly, then take action today and signup for our upcoming course. Become part of the elite group of professionals that know how to achieve SIL-compliant safety-related systems.

What you will learn

What functional safety means according to IEC 61508.
How functional safety applies to your job.
How functional safety applies to your products and services.
Why functional safety exists in the first place.
That FSM is at the basis of all safety functions and systems.
The role of measures to avoid and control failures.
How end users decide what safety functions they need and how much SIL they must have.
The four documents you need to plan and start building safety functions.
The content of a safety requirements specification (SRS).

Important hardware concepts like Type, Voting, HFT, SFF, etc.
The rules for selecting equipment and building architectures.
The difference between diagnostic tests and proof tests and why it is important.
What PFD means and how to calculate PFD for a safety function.
The different PFD modelling techniques.
How to deal with software and create application logic.
Three types of software.
What end users need to do to operate, maintain and repair safety functions.

Requirements

Bring an open mind.
Willing less to learn ...

Basic knowledge of functional safety is an advantage but not necessary.
Time to study for the exam.

This course includes

Manual in PDF format to make notes
14 exercises
Videos case studies
Valuable discussions with your trainer and peers

Knowledge certificate after passing the exam

FS Specialist - Exam score over 60%
FS Specialist with Distinction - Exam score over 85%

Optional - Extra cost apply

TUV SUD knowledge certificate

FS Engineer - Exam score over 60%
FS PRofessional - Exam score over 75%

Functional safety consultancy (per hour)

Get Your New Knowledge Certified as FS Specialist, FS Engineer or FS Professional

All courses and workshops at Risknowlogy come with an optional exam and knowledge certification. At the end of this training, you can participate in an exam. If you pass the exam, you can get your knowledge certified.

Course description

The main objective of this course is to allow specialists involved in safety-related systems to learn the fundamentals of functional safety and the requirements of the functional safety standard IEC 61508. A second objective is to give anybody attending the course the opportunity to certify their knowledge through an exam.

Functional safety is a knowledge-based profession. Do you want to be a functional safety specialist? Do you want to be certified? Want to know if you learn something from this course? Answer these questions for yourself:

Do you know why a proof test cannot improve the SFF?
Do you know that there are 2 SILs and 2 Risk Reduction Factors for each safety function?
Do you know why most companies fail at functional safety?
Do you know how many requirements a safety function needs to fulfil to claim SIL?
Do you know why a PFD is the least essential SIL requirement?
Do you know the five core concepts of functional safety management?
Do you know who is responsible for the safety requirements specification?

If you know the answers to the above questions, congratulations, you are a Functional Safety Expert. If not, this course is for you.

Course content

8 sections, 50+ lessons

Introduction

The business case for functional safety
Important laws
The IEC 61508 standard
Random, common cause and systematic failures
Measure to avoid and control failures

Functional Safety Management

Life cycle concept
Competency
Verification
Validation
Assessment
Audit
Documentation
Modifications
Important FSM procedures

Hazard and risk analysis

Hazard identification
Hazard analysis, risk analysis
Risk reduction
HAZID, FMEA, FTA, ETA, risk graph, risk matrix
Safety function definition SLATS
Safety requirements specification

Planning the safety system

Planning for end users, system integrators
Realization of the safety functions
Functional safety plan
Verification plan
Assessment plan
Audit plan
Safety requirements specification

Hardware design

Hardware life cycle
Energize versus de-energize
Low demand, high demand, continuous mode
Target faliure measure (PFDavg, PFH)
Redundancy
Diversity
Voting
Hardware fault tolerance
Type A, Type B
Diagnostic tests
Proof tests
Safe failure fraction
Architectural constraints
Route 1h and route 2h
Measure to control failures

Hardware reliability

Reliability modelling
FMEDA
Block diagrams
Simplified equations
FAT
Markov
Failure data
PFD calculation

Software design

Software life cycle
Embedded software
Application software
Utility software
Full variability languages (FVL)
Limited variability languages (LVL)
Fixed programming languages (FPL)
Software architecture
V-model
Measure to avoid failures

Operation and maintenance

Installation and commissioning
Safety validation
Operation, maintenance and repair
Modification and retrofit
Maintenance override

Exam - For those applying for knowledge certification

Course Staff

Dr Michel Houtermans

Founder, owner and managing partner of Risknowlogy. Michel is a seasoned functional safety master, entrepreneur and international business consultant. He learned first about functional safety in 1994 when he read the IEC 61508 standards for the first time. Since then, he has only worked in the functional safety industry.

He worked with end users, EPCs, engineering partners, system integrators, product manufacturers, governments, third parties and insurance companies. Michel worked globally as functional safety consultant, assessor and certifier.

Functional safety practitioner since 1994
Succesfully consulted 50+ companies on FS
Certified 100+ safety products
Certified 150+ safety subsystems
Certified 400+ safety solutions

What do current students say about this course?

"It was a very educational course and hope to really enjoy the benefits of this in the future. The trainer was very competent and knows what he is talking about. Every colleague should follow this course, if only it was to understand FSM better." - M. de Kok, Rütgers Resins, Netherlands

"Trainer clearly explained the SIL concepts as they apply to SIS and I feel that I learned something really valuable for my job and career." - R. Saravannan, Petronash, UAE

"The subject is both interesting and important. I think during this course we didn't dive too deep into specific numbers and such, and instead got a very good overall understanding of the subject. Therefore I think that the focus of the material and teaching was excellent, as learning and remembering all numbers and specifics is in my opinion not time well spent. Instead it's important to know what do they mean, why do they exist and if the exact numbers are needed, then one can look up the standard. The course was excellent! " - Justus Hyytiäinen, Finland

"Really positive learning experience. Lecturer has great skills of teach the most essential issues with practical examples. Also the atmosphere during the course was inspiring and positive. During one week it is possible to learn effectively the most important aspects of IEC 61508." - Anonymous, Finland

"I thought the notes were excellent. I feel like it really covered all bases. Overall excellent course and very enjoyable. The mock exam is very useful." - David Horgan, Ireland

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the TUV certificate included?

Yes, the TUV SUD certificate is in included if you buy the upgraded option. Contact us for the latest deals.

Does the certificate expire?

The certificates are knowledge certificates, and knowledge certificates do not expire.

How is the exam conducted?

The exam is online. You must log in to our platform to attend the exam at a set time and date according to our schedule.

What if I fail the exam?

Retake exams are gratis. Contact us, and we will schedule a new exam date with you.

Will I be listed on the TUV SUD website?

Yes, but you must fill out the forms to approve us and TUV to list you.