Independent

After much discussion on how independent could be defined, it was decided that the ISA Group is not going to define independent. Instead definitions from IEC 61508 and other standards could be used.

Assessor/Evaluator

The function:

Independent safety assessment is the formation of a judgement, separate and independent from any system design, development or operational personnel, that the safety requirements for the system are appropriate and adequate for the planned application and that the system satisfies those safety requirements.

Guidance:

In discharging this responsibility, the key tasks for the function are:

• Acquiring an appreciation of the scope and context of the assessment
• Selecting and planning a cost-effective assessment strategy
• Gathering relevant evidence

Forming a judgement including managing any outcomes.

Gathering of the evidence is likely to be a combination of auditing for conformance to planned arrangements, reviewing of project documentation and performing additional analyses.

The individual, department or organisation should be demonstrably competent for the safety tasks undertaken.

Or Advisor

A supplier, company or project can call in external safety advisors. However, this is not considered by the ISA Group to be within the ISA role as defined in current international and UK standards. Independent safety assessors may be asked to give advice to a supplier, company or project but this may compromise the independence of the ISA role and function.