Product category:
Testing and Calibration Services and Information
News Release from: Sira
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 03 December 2001
First body to be accredited for IEC
61508
Sira Certification Service has become the first body to be accredited to certify the Functional Safety Capability of organisations against IEC 61508, using the CASS scheme as the vehicle.
Sira Certification Service has become the first body to be accredited to certify the Functional Safety Capability of organisations against IEC 61508, using the CASS scheme as the vehicle The CASS scheme (Conformity Assessment of Safety-Related Systems) which has been supported by the DTI and HSE, will provide the world's first accredited functional safety management conformity assessment scheme to the IEC 61508 standard
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 10 Apr 2000 at 8.00am (UK)
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Sira's unique position as the only body to have achieved this accreditation confirms its standing as one of the world's leading suppliers of conformity assessment solutions.
The process for Sira to achieve accreditation was comprehensive, and included the UK Accreditation Service (UKAS) attending and assessing Sira's audits of customers, where particular attention was paid to the procedures Sira adopted in carrying out its audits and to the competence of the assessors used, to ensure consistency and compliance with IEC61508.
Sira's assessors for this work are registered by the independent company, CASS Ltd, as meeting the requirements of the IEE/BCS Competency Guidelines for Safety-Related System Practitioners.
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This whole process from start to finish took more than 18 months before UKAS determined it was satisfied that Sira is deserving of this first unique accreditation.
David Lewis, Managing Director of Sira Certification Service comments "It has been worth all the hard work and time invested to become accredited, as already there is a rapidly rising demand for IEC 61508, and our expectation is that this will continue to rise until IEC 61508 compliance is achieved across manufacturing, end users and all associated parties involved with safety related systems." Compliance to the criteria set out in IEC 61508 allows manufacturers, systems integrators and end users to demonstrate to customers and Regulators that good practice has been followed through the whole lifecycle and that risks are being managed.
Purchasers of systems, or system components, are already using the standard to specify their performance requirements in terms of safety functions that have to be considered, and the scheme is also being taken up internationally.
Sira offers a range of services including testing, calibration and certification and the significance of being the sole supplier of this service in the UK adds further momentum to the growth of Sira's certification business.
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