Functional Safety Training Course

The aim of this course is to give the candidate sufficient underpinning and practical knowledge to be able to speak the language of “functional safety” so they can be confident in dealing with suppliers and have useful discussions with colleagues, consultants and management. They will be “intelligent customers” both internally and externally.

Who will benefit from attending this course?

A candidate will ideally have a Higher National Certificate (HNC) or Higher National Diploma (HND) or above (in an engineering discipline) and will have an intimate knowledge of the machinery already in use at their own factory. If you are in any doubt as to whether the course is suitable for you, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with Principal Consultant, Howard Wheeler.

Course Outline

• How the application of functional safety concepts and methods manages safety risks.
• How functional safety is applied to both new and existing machinery.
• Who is responsible for functional safety.
• How colleagues work together and with partners to “achieve” functional safety.
• The structure and concepts of BS EN ISO 13849 Part 1 and Part 2.
• How functional safety and BS EN ISO 13849 fits with the UK’s Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations.
• An overview of EN 62061 Safety Integrity Levels (SILs) for awareness.
• Application of BS EN ISO 13849 to differing types of control systems (electric, pneumatics and hydraulics).
• How software tools such as, for example, Sistema can help in the design.
• The differences between verification and validation in the design process.
• How to assess machinery that is in use against the requirements of BS EN ISO 13849, whether BS EN 954-1 can still be considered and why EN 62061 SIL levels may be a useful alternative.

Structure

The structure of this three-day course is designed to be a combination of theory and practical learning, with a bias towards the practical wherever possible. The practical learning will be in the classroom and will involve the use of dedicated training rigs.

Day One

Introduction to the key concepts of Functional Safety (Performance Levels) with an emphasis on the simplicity of the basic concept and potential easy means of achieving the requirements. A more in-depth analysis of each of the BS EN ISO 13849 four building blocks then follows, initially looking at the concept of mean time to dangerous failures (MTTFD).

Day Two

The morning session considers the remaining three BS EN 13849 building blocks (categories, diagnostic coverage and common cause failures) and allows for practical assembly of real-life functional safety circuits on the training rigs. The afternoon session offers an introduction to the software tools and approaches that can be used and shows how to work through schematics and circuit diagrams.

Day Three

The morning session is initially used to confirm the understanding of the concepts and ensure clarity. It then goes on to discuss how a functional safety system may be validated and introduces related subjects such as ‘fault masking’. For those that wish to take it, the afternoon then concludes with a test.

Practical Exercise

During the course, candidates will be required to configure and wire up a safety circuit to achieve a required performance level. Training rigs are provided.

The candidate will describe the desired function of the safety circuit and identify a range of components that can be used.

The candidate will be asked to verbally describe and demonstrate, wherever possible, how the safety circuit should be validated.

During the practical exercise, the trainer will coach the candidate and make appropriate challenges.

The equipment used for the practical assessment will be a simple “banana” plug-type system.

The basic use of Sistema in the design process will be demonstrated with each candidate having the opportunity to configure and use this software. This will be done using laptops provided by us.

How will I be assessed?

To ensure candidates have met the general objectives of the training, practical assessments will be carried out as follows:

• Observation of the candidate during classroom teaching.
• Assessment of a written multiple-choice quiz.
• Observation of the candidate during practical sessions.
• Observation of the candidate while carrying simple individual practical exercises.

What will I learn?

• How to determine when parts of a control system need to be considered as part of the Safety Related Control System.
• How to describe the categories of circuit architecture.
• How to explain the terms “Diagnostic Coverage” (DC), “Mean Time To Dangerous Failure” (MTTFD) and “Probability of Dangerous Failures per Hour” (PFHD).
• State how DC, MTTFD and system architecture (Categories) combine to produce a PFHD value and Performance Level (PL).
• Be able to demonstrate how undetected faults and fault masking can lead to hazardous situations.

Forward Progression

It is expected that some candidates will go on to achieve the “TUV FS Eng” qualification.

Course Duration

This course is delivered over three days and runs between 9 am and 4.30 pm each day.

Questions regarding content or suitability?

Email [email protected]
For bookings, contact [email protected] or 01530 412777.

Course Dates and Costs

Please contact us with your preferred dates

Costs:

£1170 + VAT.

Venue:

The Nest, Ashby de la Zouch, LE65 2AB.

Where can I stay between the days?

For an additional £280.00+ VAT we can arrange for you to stay in the local COVID secure Premier Inn, dine at a local COVID secure restaurant and be looked after during the evening by your host and trainer. We want you to be able to relax between an intense three days in the classroom.

How will the COVID-19 risk be managed?

Finch has been fortunate in providing leading guidance since the lock-down so we will inform you of our COVID secure measures two weeks before the course, then update you two days before you make the journey to us, take some time to induct and brief you on arrival and provide you with protective equipment and cleaning substances. We want you and others to be safe while you’re our guest.