TSE IEC Guide 104

TSE IEC Guide 104 is a guide on how safety publications are prepared and, in particular, how basic safety publications and group safety publications are used within that framework. In technical documentation, the key issue is consistency: safety guidance must work coherently across different product families and technical fields, so the relationship between publication types matters.

How the publication types fit together

At the center of this guide is the distinction between basic safety publications and group safety publications. In general technical terms, basic safety publications support common safety principles and methods, while group safety publications consolidate safety provisions for a defined product family or technical domain. That distinction helps clarify how the same safety concepts are applied across product TCs or across horizontal safety functions.

The guide covers procedures for preparing safety publications and also addresses the relationship between TCs and horizontal safety functions or group safety functions and product TCs. Here, TC means technical committee, the standardization body responsible for developing content. From a general standards perspective, this kind of relationship management helps reduce overlap, avoid duplication, and keep related safety documents aligned.

• Provides a process-oriented framework for preparing safety publications.
• Treats basic and group safety publications as complementary document types.
• Explains the link between technical committees and horizontal or product-focused safety work.
• Supports a more consistent and coordinated safety document structure.