The 61508 Association - How the Association works

How does the Association work?

The 61508 Association achieves its purpose by:

Bringing together all parties with an interest in functional safety
Identifying and removing obstacles to the profitable application of IEC 61508 and related standards
Facilitating the improvement in the understanding of and competence in the use of IEC 61508 and related standards
Working with CASS to ensure that the scheme meets the conformity assessment needs of the functional safety stakeholders

Members sign up to the four principles shown on the home page. These principles are explained in the presentation What does the Association expect of its members?

The Association is run by the members through meetings and correspondence. The general meetings of members appoint a Chair and a Treasurer who, together with a representative of each working group, form the Management Committee. This committee is responsible for the implementation of the policies agreed by the members in general meeting. Co-ordination and administration are provided by Ian Cleare of Buxton Technology Ltd. The costs of running the Association are shared by the members. The annual subscription depends upon the level of activity and the number of members. At present the subscription is £450.

There are three working groups which report to the members through the general meetings. The CASS Scheme Working Group (CSWG) works with The CASS Scheme Ltd to ensure that accredited certification carried out within the CASS system meets the needs of the marketplace. The Education and Training Working Group (ETWG) identifies areas of the marketplace where greater (or even some) knowledge of IEC 61508 and accredited certification are needed and encourages training providers to meet the identified needs. It is engaged in developing effective competence guidelines for organisations engaged in the functional safety field. The Communications Working Group (CommsWG) manages the provision of information to the functional safety marketplace in the form of articles, papers, website and events.