International Safety Standards

This standard defines a general approach for all activities related to safety during the entire lifespan of the product for systems that include electrical and/or electronic programmable elements (E/E/PE) used for performing safety functions. One of the main objectives is to facilitate the development of products and applications according to international standards based on the IEC 61508 series.

This standard specifies requirements for the design and implementation of safety-related control systems (SCS) of machinery. This document is machine sector specific within the framework of IEC 61508.
This International Standard is intended for use by machinery designers, control system manufacturers and integrators, and others involved in the specification, design and validation of an SCS. It sets out an approach and provides requirements to achieve the necessary performance and facilitates the specification of the safety functions intended to achieve the risk reduction.

This standard sets forth the safety requirements and recommendations relative to principles for design and integration of parts related to safety on control systems (SRP/CS), including SW design. For these parts this standard specifies the characteristics, including performance levels, that are necessary for implementing these safety functions. It is applied to the SRP/CS of all types of machines, regardless of the technology and type of power used (electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, mechanical, etc.).

Safety Integrity Level: a discrete level (from one to four) corresponding to the range of values for safety integrity, where the safety integrity level “4“ represents the highest level, with “1“ being the lowest.

Performance level: this is a discrete level used to specify the capacity of the parts related to safety to perform safety functions in foreseeable conditions. The performance level “e” is the highest, with “a” being the lowest.

This Technical Specification gives requirements for the development and integration of safety related sensors and sensor systems used for protection of persons with special attention to systematics. The IEC 62998 framework is, as of today, the most relevant framework for the characterization of safety related sensors based on radar technology. This new specification tries to fill the gap in the examination of sensors systematic capabilities, offering a new approach that lies between the approach used in sensor design specific standards, and the approach of generic functional safety standards of electrical, electronic or programmable electronic control systems. In this standard, special attention is given to the sensing function and dependability of the detection capability. Environmental influences and tests for indoor and outdoor use that might affect the sensing function and dependability of the detection capability are defined. For the certification of the second generation of Inxpect safety radar equipment, IEC TS 62998-1 standard has been used in the analysis of the system capability when the sensor is used in mobile applications and outdoors.

In 2018 Inxpect launched the first generation of its safety radar equipment: the first, and still only, radar sensor certified for safety uses under the European Machinery Directive. However, this presented a challenge since no UL standard in the field of safety sensors had ever referred to radar as a sensing technique.
Together with Inxpect, UL succeeded in outlining the path to successfully certify the safety radar equipment 100 series under a new Certification Requirement Decision (CRD): an ambitious plan requiring a strong commitment from both UL and Inxpect. The process was completed leading to certification by UL of the safety radar equipment 100 series under the new CRD of IEC 61496-3 Certification Requirement Decision – Additional Considerations for Protective Devices Responsive to Diffuse Reflection of Radar (PDRDRR) as a Type 3 ESPE (Electro-Sensitive Protective Equipment), becoming the first radar system with a UL Listing as a safety device, and the first UL Certified device under the new CRD specification. All the families of Inxpect radar systems can now benefit from this new CRD in order to be listed and ready for the US market.