TS EN 61508-7

TS EN 61508-7 is the part of the EN 61508 family that focuses on the technical and measure-based side of functional safety for electrical, electronic and programmable electronic safety-related systems. It provides an overview of techniques and measures used when designing and verifying functional safety, and it serves as a reference framework connected to IEC 61508-2 and IEC 61508-3.

Rather than prescribing a single mandatory method, this part helps organise and explain the range of approaches used in safety-related systems. In functional safety, the objective is to reduce the risk arising from faults in hardware or software to an acceptable level, so concepts such as fault prevention, fault tolerance, diagnostics, independent verification and disciplined development practices are considered together. Part 7 acts as a technical reference that maps this landscape.

How techniques and measures fit into functional safety

In this context, a “technique” is a specific engineering approach, while a “measure” is a structural or procedural action used to support the safety objective. That distinction matters in complex industrial control environments, because safety depends not only on the robustness of components, but also on software architecture, lifecycle management and verification activities.

• Provides an overview of techniques and measures relevant to IEC 61508-2 and IEC 61508-3.
• Treats references to methods and tools as basic references or examples, not necessarily as the state of the art.
• Helps create a common terminology for selecting and comparing safety-related approaches.
• The 2010 edition is identified as a technical revision of the standard.

In broader engineering practice, a document of this kind supports shared understanding of analysis, design, verification and post-verification activities across the safety lifecycle. In automation, process control and safety-related electronic architectures especially, distinguishing which technique serves which purpose is important for systematic safety management.