Most of you know that exida gathers field failure data from many sources including manufacturers’ warranty return data and end user maintenance/failure records. At this point we have nearly 100 billion unit operating hours of data. This is probably the largest process industry data set in the world. And…
exida explains Blog
- by Steve Gandy, CFSP
- Monday, April 28, 2014
- Software
Still Using Excel to do PFD Calculations?
It’s very interesting to me to find that people are still using excel to do PFD calculations. Whereas this is probably okay for simple single element architectures (i.e. single sensor, single logic solver and single final element), it becomes extremely complicated when dealing with redundant architectures. Moreover, for performing…
- by John Yozallinas, CFSE
- Monday, April 14, 2014
- Certification
Are You Building a Safer World?
Every man takes care that his neighbor shall not cheat him. But a day comes when he begins to care that he does not cheat his neighbor. Then all goes well.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
I like to think about functional safety in a similar way. We all want…
- by John Yozallinas, CFSE
- Monday, March 31, 2014
- Certification
I Know My Requirements. Now What?
If you’ve written your new product requirements, you probably understand exactly what they mean. But will the other people on your project team? You also probably understand that some unwritten requirements must also be met. They’re just common sense and everyone knows what they are.
What about that new…
- by Loren Stewart, CFSE
- Wednesday, March 12, 2014
- Certification
Cycle Testing for Static Applications? NO!
The failure rates of certain mechanical components used in solenoid valves, actuators, and valves vary substantially depending on operation. Seals such as O-rings, for example have fundamentally different failure modes when used in applications with frequent movement (dynamic) versus applications with infrequent movement (static).
Static is generally…
- by Dr. William Goble, CFSE
- Tuesday, March 11, 2014
- Certification
What is a “House Certificate?”
exida was recently auditing a systems level project per IEC 61511. During such audits we check to verify that all equipment used in a safety instrumented function meets systematic capability by either IEC 61508 certification OR justification per reasonable IEC 61511 “prior use” criteria. Most engineers at…
- by Dr. William Goble, CFSE
- Wednesday, March 05, 2014
- Certification
The Problem with the Expert
I recall the first time I was called an “expert.” I thought that sounded nice. I spotted a magazine article on safety and thought “I do not have to read that as I am an expert.” I quickly recovered. The real problem with being called an expert is that…
- by Steve Gandy, CFSP
- Wednesday, February 19, 2014
- Certification
Ten Years Later
It’s hard to believe that the IEC61511 standard has been in existence since 2003, and most companies operating in the process, chemical, and refining industries (or any other hazardous process manufacturer) have adopted its practices. It’s also significant that any plants that were built back then with a…
- by John Yozallinas, CFSE
- Wednesday, February 12, 2014
- Functional Safety
A Bug (Free) Life
Can we really ship a bug-free product? That’s a tough question to answer. Bugs originate in many places and not all bugs are the same severity. But you can’t control what you don’t measure. If you log and classify defects, and control the way changes are made, there may…
- by Loren Stewart, CFSE
- Monday, January 27, 2014
- Certification
Dare to Be Different
exida is often posed questions regarding our failure rates used in Failure Modes, Effects and Diagnostic Analysis (FMEDA) for products used in safety-related systems.
Today I would like to focus on a question that was recently asked: “What if my products are unique or different than products…
- by Chris O'Brien, CFSE
- Friday, January 17, 2014
- Certification
Product Stewardship and Engineering Ethics
Recently I witnessed something I never thought I would in the engineering profession: I was told by a system designer that even though they knew the safety reliability data for one device was too optimistic, they were going to use it because it meant they didn’t need to…
- by Dr. William Goble, CFSE
- Friday, January 10, 2014
- Certification
Functional Safety, Cybersecurity, and Alarm Management in 2013
2013 was a good year for functional safety progress. exida Certification issued a record number of new product functional safety certifications in mostly every product category - valves, actuators, solenoid valves, PLCs, fire and gas sensors, process sensors, and components. The component category is one of the most…
- by Todd Stauffer
- Tuesday, January 07, 2014
- Certification
Know Your Value
Typically a person’s salary reflects the value of their skillset and the importance of their role to their company. If that’s TRUE, then there is some good news for safety practitioners. A recent salary survey conducted by ISA and published in InTech magazine benchmarked the average salary…
- by John Yozallinas, CFSE
- Tuesday, December 17, 2013
- Certification
12 Days of Christmas: Safety Edition
What’s on your Christmas list? Instead of relying on Santa, here are some gifts you can expect from a SIL 3 compliant process:
- 12 safety requirements improved through review by test engineers
- 11 validation tests that uncovered problems before they reached the field
- 10…
- by John Yozallinas, CFSE
- Thursday, December 12, 2013
- Certification
Developing a Functional Safety Product: What You Need to Know
Thinking about developing a safety product? Use these 3 steps as a starting point:
1. Know thyself
Do you have documented development processes that govern how you develop a product from start to finish? If not, start by writing down what is actually being done. Interview the people…