Do you know the history of ISO 26262?

The ISO 26262 safety standard series was created and published by the ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation), but the car manufacturers themselves initiated the development and played a key role in shaping the standard.

The reason for this initiative was the German Product Safety Act, which was amended in 2004. This change in the law led to a significant reversal of the burden of proof with regard to product safety. Previously, the user of a product had to prove that a defect in the product was the cause of injury or even death - an almost impossible task when an unintentional deployment of an airbag due to a technical defect led to an accident. In such a case, it was difficult to prove the technical defect and to legally clarify that this defect was the cause of the incident.

However, following the amendment to the law in 2004, the burden of proof now lay with the manufacturer - or more precisely, the person placing a product on the market. From then on, they had to prove that the product was free of defects if an incident occurred.

However, engineers are well aware that it is almost impossible to develop a completely fault-free product. The question that arose was not how to prove freedom from defects, but rather: How can a manufacturer prove that it has done everything possible to avoid defects as far as possible? The focus was therefore on reducing the burden of proof on the engineers and proving that the manufacturer had taken all possible safety measures.

The emergence of ISO 26262

The answer to this question was found by representatives of automotive manufacturers and suppliers, who joined forces to develop their own standard for functional safety. This standard was based on the existing IEC 61508 standard for functional safety, but tailored specifically to the automotive industry and its needs.

The ISO 26262 series was officially published by the ISO (International Organization for Standardisation) as the standardisation organisation, but the OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) initiated and significantly shaped the content of the standard to reflect the specific requirements of the industry.

The standard describes the minimum requirements for the development of safety-critical products, particularly with regard to fault prevention and fault detection. The special thing about this standard is that anyone who complies with the requirements of ISO 26262 is essentially protected from legal consequences because ISO 26262 reflects the state of the art and represents best practice in the industry.

Do more than the minimum

Of course, it is possible to do more than the standard requires. In fact, those responsible for airbag components in the early years of ISO 26262 had already fulfilled all of the safety requirements - far beyond what the standard required of them. When I spoke to these professionals around 2006 and presented the new requirements of ISO 26262, the response was often:

‘We already do all that. And much more.’

The automotive industry was therefore already very advanced in terms of functional safety. Nevertheless, ISO 26262 provided a uniform standard that enabled the entire industry to define and implement clear and comprehensible requirements for safety-critical systems.

The current status and significance of the standard

Even though ISO 26262 is now an established foundation for the development of safety-critical products, the question remains: Is it being implemented correctly? In many companies, the requirements of ISO 26262 are increasingly becoming standard practice.

However, the complex and dynamic requirements of the automotive industry in particular often pose challenges when it comes to fully implementing the standard. Especially when it comes to documentation and traceability, companies can find it difficult to consistently fulfil the many detailed requirements of the standard.

Conclusion

ISO 26262 is an indispensable part of the automotive industry when it comes to safety. It ensures that products are developed and marketed safely by serving as the state of the art.

By developing this standard, car manufacturers and suppliers have not only accepted their responsibility in the area of functional safety, but have also reaffirmed their commitment to users and society.

Today, there is no longer any reason not to fulfil the expectations of society that are reflected in this standard.