As the causes of hazards and therefore the technical measures needed to avoid them can vary greatly, a distinction is made between different types of safety, e.g. by stating the cause of potential hazards.

For example we talk about "functional safety" when safety depends on the correct function of an electrical (E), electronic (E) and programmable electronic (PE) system (in short: E/E/PE systems).

The following standards are some of the most important in this area:

The intention in revising EN 954-1 is to create a simplified, reasonable standard, which will end the debate over highly mathematical models.
As in the past, the new EN ISO 13849-1 will continue to deal with electrical, electronic and programmable electronic systems as well as other control technologies, such as fluid power technology.
The scope of the planned EN ISO 13849-1 also describes the possibility of applying this standard for programmable electronic systems for safety functions.
On the subject of "Validation", the previous draft standard prEN 954-2 appeared in December 2003 as the harmonised standard EN ISO 13849-2. By validation we mean an evaluated examination, including analysis and testing of the safety functions and the categories of safety-related parts of control systems. [... more]

EN/IEC 62061 represents a sector-specific standard under EN/IEC 61508. It describes the implementation of safety-related electrical control systems on machinery. It examines the overall lifecycle from the concept phase through to decommissioning. Quantitative and qualitative examinations of the safety functions form the basis. It is addressed to planners, constructors and users of safety-related systems.
EN/IEC 62061 is listed as a harmonised standard under the EU Machinery Directive, so the "presumption effect" comes into force when it is applied.  [... more]

With IEC 61508, the requirements for safety systems in plant safety are defined independently from the application. It is not simply a matter of the harmonisation of national statutory instruments with international standards, but also of the increased use of devices and sensors with microprocessors for safety functions.
In this "functional safety" standard, the requirements of these systems are generally divided into safety integrity levels (SIL 1-4). Devices, sensors or control systems must therefore have a SIL classification [... more]

• Part 1: Introduces the concept of functional safety and provides an overview of the standards in the IEC 61508 series.
• Part 2: Requirements for safety-related electrical/electronic/programmable electronic systems
• Part 3: Software requirements
• Part 4: Definitions and abbreviations
• Part 5: Examples of methods for the determination of safety integrity levels
• Part 6: Guidelines on the application Part 2 and Part 3
• Part 7: Overview of techniques and measures

This standard defines the minimum requirements for safety instrumented systems in the process industry sector. It is based on IEC 61508, but has been tailored to the process industry. [... more]

• Part 1: Framework, definitions, system, hardware and software requirements
• Part 2: Guidelines for the application of Part 1
• Part 3: Guidance for the determination of the required safety integrity levels

This standard describes safety requirements and provides guidance on principles for the design of safety-related parts of control systems. It specifies categories and describes the safety function characteristics for these parts. This includes programmable systems for all machinery and for related protective devices.
It applies to all safety-related parts of control systems, regardless of the type of energy used, e.g. electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, mechanical, and applies to all machinery for professional and non-professional use. It may also be applied for control systems with safety-related parts used for other technical applications with similar hazards. [... more]