Third-party safety testing: The case for outside certification
Case study from Moore Industries and TÜV Rheinland explains the methodology and benefits of third party safety certification.
Peter Welander
TÜV Rheinland, a leading provider of testing and certification services for global companies, has released, " Product Safety Case Study: Compliance Testing and Certification ." This document discusses the process of certifying a safety device from Moore Industries-International, Inc., a producer of industrial process control technologies. TÜV evaluated and certified Moore's new STA safety trip alarm to IEC 61508: Parts 1, 2, and 3 for single use in safety instrumented systems up to SIL (safety integrity level) 2.
The study provides a description of this specific SIL certification process and documents the complete experience of developing a functional safety product. Moore Industries chose TÜV Rheinland to provide a third-party safety assessment and IEC 61508 certification for the STA. "It was integral to the product's success that a highly reputable and internationally-renowned third-party agency document the safety and quality of the STA safety-trip alarm," says Tina Lockhart, Moore Industries ' director of engineering. "TÜV Rheinland was the best choice, considering the scope of the approvals process for the STA."
The case study details the steps required to pass a safety assessment, and discusses the benefits and value added for an end user when a product carries an independent certification. Moore says that with third-party evaluation to IEC 61508, it is following best practices in the safety industry, which should appeal to the best interests of end users.
As the IEC 61508 standard has become more widely recognized and adopted by worldwide customers, Moore reports that end users are increasingly looking for products that have been designed to IEC 61508 from their initial concept. Customers are demanding not only compliance to the standards but verification from an independent third-party agency.
Download the complete case study .
Read Assessing risk: Using SIL classifications .
-Edited by Peter Welander, process industries editor, PWelander@cfemedia.com
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