Functional safety in complex E/E/PE safety-related systems

Component based COTS and SOUP development is of major practical significance to both the developer and safety regulator. It is argued that developing major safety applications software from scratch without software reuse is impractical in many cases. The key issue is whether COTS and SOUP can be used in safety applications to meet the functional safety requirements set for the safety functions to be implemented. Of key concern is the degree of safety integrity that can be claimed for the COTS and SOUP. If we are to be faced with COTS and SOUP applications then awareness of the technical and legal issues is essential.