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Standards · Functional safety

IEC 61508 Edition 3 reaches final vote, with tighter competence rules

Published 19 October 2026 · Source: IEC

Rows of electrical control panels in an industrial control room
Photo: Pexels

What happened

The third edition of IEC 61508 has reached its final stage. On 14 October 2026, IEC's project database listed all seven parts (Parts 1 to 7) as final draft international standards (FDIS) circulated for vote, each with a forecast publication date of January 2027. The FDIS of Part 1 (65A/1267/FDIS) went out on 2 October 2026, and the voting report is expected in November 2026. An FDIS is the last stage before publication: national committees vote to approve or reject the text, without further technical comment.

IEC's abstract of Part 1 lists the significant technical changes from Edition 2. Alongside clarifications on scope, interfaces between the parts, and the difference between safety integrity level (SIL) and systematic capability (SC), two items concern people:

  • more detailed requirements on the competence of people;
  • requirements on levels of independence for functional safety assurance activities, in a new Annex B.

Why it matters

Competence is already a requirement in Edition 2. Everyone involved in any lifecycle activity, including verification, management of functional safety and functional safety assessment, shall have the appropriate competence: training, technical knowledge, experience and qualifications relevant to their duties. The procedures shall also cover refreshing, updating and continued assessment of that competence (IEC 61508-1:2010, 6.2.13). Clause 6.2.14 then lists the factors that decide how rigorous that competence must be, including the consequences of failure and the SIL.

The abstract says only that Edition 3's requirements are "more detailed"; the detail will be known when the text is published.

Until publication, Edition 2 remains the edition in force, and January 2027 depends on the FDIS votes passing. For where the revision stands overall, see our earlier article, IEC 61508 Edition 3: when it is due and what changes.

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