Cross-Standard Comparison
Navigating ISO 26262, IEC 61508, DO-178C, EN 50128, and ISO 13849 across industries
What You'll Learn
Build complete competency in cross-standard comparison through structured, progressive learning.
Navigate multiple standards
Understand the structure, scope, and key requirements of the five major functional safety standards
Map integrity levels
Correctly translate between SIL, ASIL, DAL, and PL risk classification systems for multi-domain projects
Plan multi-standard compliance
Develop a harmonized compliance strategy when products must satisfy two or more functional safety standards
Reuse safety evidence
Identify and justify evidence reuse opportunities to reduce certification costs across standards
Qualify tools across standards
Understand tool qualification frameworks from each standard and maximize qualification reuse
Support joint assessments
Prepare documentation packages that satisfy assessors from multiple standard domains simultaneously
14 Comprehensive Chapters
Each chapter builds your cross-standard comparison expertise systematically from foundations to advanced application.
Overview
Introduce the landscape of functional safety standards across industries and explain why cross-standard knowledge is essential for modern safety engineers.
ISO 26262 (Automotive)
Review the structure, scope, and key requirements of ISO 26262 as the reference standard for automotive functional safety.
IEC 61508 (Generic)
Examine IEC 61508 as the parent generic standard, its SIL 1-4 integrity levels, and how domain-specific standards derive from it.
DO-178C (Aerospace)
Analyze DO-178C for airborne software, its Design Assurance Levels A-E, and how evidence requirements compare to automotive software.
EN 50128 (Railway)
Explore EN 50128 for railway software, its SIL 0-4 integrity levels, and the independence and V&V process requirements.
ISO 13849 (Machinery)
Understand ISO 13849 for machinery safety functions, its Performance Level categories, and the simplified probabilistic approach using categories B, 1-4.
Risk Classification Comparison
Map SIL, ASIL, DAL, and PL risk classification systems onto a common risk scale and highlight structural similarities and differences.
Architecture Requirements
Compare architectural requirements across standards including redundancy mandates, single-point failure limits, and independence of channels.
Safety Mechanisms Across Standards
Examine which safety mechanisms are recommended or required by each standard and identify common patterns that satisfy multiple standards.
Verification & Coverage
Compare testing rigor, code coverage requirements, and formal verification expectations across automotive, aerospace, and railway standards.
Tool Qualification Comparison
Contrast tool qualification frameworks across standards: TQL/TCL (ISO 26262), DO-330, and EN 50128 methods for qualifying development tools.
Harmonization Strategies
Develop strategies to harmonize safety processes when a product must comply with multiple functional safety standards simultaneously.
Multi-Standard Compliance
Work through a multi-standard compliance planning exercise for a complex system operating across automotive and industrial domains.
Evidence Reuse
Identify opportunities to reuse safety evidence, analyses, and work products across multiple certification or compliance activities.
6 Cross-Standard Comparison Diagrams
Experiment with visual tools that bring cross-standard comparison concepts to life.
Risk Level Mapping
Visual mapping of SIL 1-4, ASIL A-D, DAL A-E, and PL a-e onto a common risk reduction axis showing equivalencies and gaps
Standards Heritage Tree
Genealogy diagram showing how IEC 61508 spawned domain-specific standards across automotive, aerospace, railway, and machinery sectors
Architecture Requirements Matrix
Side-by-side matrix of architectural requirements (redundancy, independence, channel separation) across all five standards
Code Coverage Comparison
Bar chart comparison of mandatory software code coverage levels per integrity level across ISO 26262, DO-178C, and EN 50128
Tool Qualification Framework
Process flow showing how tool qualification evidence from one standard can be mapped and partially reused for another standard
Multi-Standard Compliance Roadmap
Timeline-based roadmap showing how to sequence multi-standard compliance activities to minimize duplication and rework
Autonomous Mobile Robot: ISO 26262 + IEC 61508 + ISO 13849
A robotics company integrating automotive LIDAR sensors with industrial robot arms faced simultaneous compliance demands from ISO 26262 (vehicle electronics), IEC 61508 (programmable controller), and ISO 13849 (safety functions). A superset process reduced total compliance effort by 40%.
- Mapped 340 requirements across three standards with 67% overlap identified
- Single FMEA and FTA analysis accepted as evidence for all three standards
- Tool qualification evidence reused across ISO 26262 TQL-3 and DO-330 equivalently
- Joint assessment conducted by two assessors from automotive and industrial domains
Multi-Standard Compliance Matrix
Master Cross-Standard Safety
Expand your expertise beyond ISO 26262 to navigate multiple functional safety standards across automotive, aerospace, railway, and machinery domains
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