Artefact · Safety & Security
Safety manual
The document a supplier of a safety-related chip, module or product gives to integrators, stating the conditions under which its safety claims hold.
- Type
- Artefact
- Domain
- Safety & Security, Safety lifecycle
Overview
A part developed for functional safety is used in systems its supplier does not design. The safety manual carries the safety assumptions across that boundary: what the part was developed for, what the integrator must do, and what evidence supports the claims.
How it works
It describes the safety functions or mechanisms the part provides, the assumptions made during its development, the diagnostics the integrator must enable or run, required configurations, proof test or periodic test intervals where they apply, the failure rates and metrics, and any known limits.
It is released with the safety case at the end of the assessment and updated when the part, its errata or its field data change. An integrator who ignores a condition in it can no longer rely on the supplier's claims.
IEC 61508 and ISO 26262 both expect one for parts that others will build into safety systems.
Examples
- A microcontroller manual listing the start-up self-tests the software must run.
- A module manual giving the proof test interval for a safety function.
- A condition that two channels must use separate supplies.
- An update after errata change a diagnostic's coverage.
Why it matters
Functional safety managers and safety analysts write it; field applications engineers and integrators work from it. On the industrial lifecycle it is released at assessment and is the basis of customer integration support; on the automotive lifecycle it goes to integrators with the safety case.
It matters most to: Field Applications Engineer, Functional Safety Manager, Safety Analysis Engineer
Common confusions
- Not the same as Safety case
- The safety case argues that the part is safe; the safety manual tells the integrator how to keep it that way in use.
- Not the same as Datasheet
- The datasheet gives function and electrical limits; the safety manual gives safety assumptions, conditions and metrics.
Related standards
- IEC 61508 (functional safety of electrical, electronic and programmable electronic safety-related systems)
- ISO 26262 (road vehicles, functional safety)
Sources
- IEC 61508-2:2010 Functional safety of electrical/electronic/programmable electronic safety-related systems, Part 2: Requirements for electrical/electronic/programmable electronic safety-related systems (opens in a new tab), International Electrotechnical Commission, 2026-11-10
- ISO 26262-11:2018 Road vehicles, Functional safety, Part 11: Guidelines on application of ISO 26262 to semiconductors (opens in a new tab), Estonian Centre for Standardisation and Accreditation (EVS), for ISO, 2026-11-10
- SPRY347 White paper (functional safety documentation support) (opens in a new tab), Texas Instruments, 2026-11-10
Related terms
Part of the Safety & Security glossary, with every term in the topic and the lifecycles, tools and standards that use them.
Where it appears on the Hub
Used on 13 pages of the Hub. In each group, the pages that mention it most come first.
Lifecycle stages and gates
- Confirmation Measures & Safety Case (Automotive lifecycle)
- Assessment & Certification (Industrial lifecycle)
- Functional safety assessment complete (Automotive lifecycle)
- Functional safety assessment passed (Industrial lifecycle)
- Customer Integration, Operation & Maintenance (Industrial lifecycle)
- Engineering samples (Automotive lifecycle)
- and 4 more
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Last reviewed . Written by The Semiconductor Hub editorial team. The full glossary