Glossary · Functional safety
Functional safety management (FSM)
Also known as: FSM, management of functional safety
German: Management der funktionalen Sicherheit
In functional safety under IEC 61508 and IEC 61511, functional safety management (FSM) is the set of organizational activities, responsibilities and procedures that ensure the safety lifecycle is planned, carried out, assessed and documented so that the required functional safety is achieved and maintained.
- Functional safety
- Technical documentation
In one sentence
Functional safety management organizes responsibilities, competence, planning, assessments and records across the safety lifecycle.
Example
Before a new tank farm SIS is designed, the operator's FSM procedure names the responsible persons, defines competence requirements and schedules functional safety assessments after design and before startup.
How it applies
- Organization: FSM assigns responsibilities for each lifecycle phase, defines competence requirements and ensures that the persons involved are competent. It also covers supplier management and the handling of deviations.
- Assessment: IEC 61511 requires functional safety assessments at defined stages and audits to check that the procedures are actually followed. Independence requirements depend on the SIL and the stage.
- Change: FSM links the safety lifecycle to Management of change (MOC), so that modifications trigger impact analysis and repeated verification where needed.
- Documentation: FSM lives in procedures, the Safety plan, competence records, assessment reports and a controlled document set. The documentation team should keep these under Document control and make sure that manuals and procedures reference the current revision.
FSM vs. quality management
A quality management system provides the general framework for controlled processes. FSM adds safety-specific requirements, such as competence for safety roles, independent assessments and lifecycle traceability. A certified quality management system alone does not demonstrate functional safety management.