Our Services
SIL Assessment
Functional Safety with R4Risk
Understanding Safety Instrumented Systems and SIL Assessment
Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS) are used in many systems for the prevention and mitigation of safety-related hazards. A SIS may be made up of one or more Safety-Instrumented Functions (SIF). The target Safety Integrity Level (SIL) dictates the required performance of each SIF – the performance criterion is determined via a SIL assessment.
Functional Safety at R4Risk
Benefits of SIL Assessment
The benefits of a SIL assessment include:
- Optimisation of SIS safety performance
- Improvement in SIS reliability
- Reduced downtime due to spurious trips
- Compliance with the requirements of AS 61508 (IEC 61508) and AS IEC 61511
- Development of a best practice approach to process safety management
The SIL determination for a particular SIF is based on the expected likelihood and consequence for the hazardous event that the SIF is protecting against and the applicable risk criteria.
R4Risk’s SIL practitioners are qualified risk analysts who are also TÜV-certified Functional Safety Engineers.
With the specific skills in the application of functional safety combined with extensive knowledge of risk and safety management, R4Risk is well-placed to support any organisation with its SIS safety management requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
SIL determination identifies the required Safety Integrity Level for each Safety Instrumented Function (SIF) in a process, based on risk analysis. It’s critical for compliance with standards like AS/IEC 61511 and ensures protection against unacceptable risks.
In Western Australia, yes – SIL determination is legally required under the Dangerous Goods Safety regulations, which mandate compliance with AS/IEC 61511 if your operations involve safety instrumented systems for managing hazardous processes.
Elsewhere, it’s not legally mandated but is widely considered industry good practice. It’s often required by regulators or insurers to demonstrate compliance with general WHS obligations.
You will receive:
- A documented SIL determination report for each SIF
- LOPA worksheets or risk graph outputs
- List of risk reduction requirements
- Recommendations for next steps in the safety lifecycle (e.g. SIL verification, SRS development).
