SAFERTOS® provides Industrial developers with a responsive, deterministic embedded Real Time Operating System (RTOS) with a Design Assurance Pack that provides an easy route to achieving certification of SAFERTOS® once integrated into an Industrial Safety Product.
SAFERTOS® and its Design Assurance Pack (DAP) are pre-certified by TÜV SÜD to IEC 61508 -1,-3,-4 Safety Integrity Level 3 (SIL3), the highest level possible for a software only component.
Support for Multiple Safety Standards
IEC 61508 is a generic Industrial safety standard supporting the design, development and operation of electrical/electronic/programmable electronic systems. Different industries (see figure) have created their own sector specific standards based on IEC 61508. For software development the underlying principles are similar; however the domain specific adaptations include processes and procedures for managing the unique system level risks present within each industrial sector.
All SAFERTOS® ports delivered with a DAP comply with the requirements of IEC 61508 -1,-3,-4 SIL 3. SAFERTOS® and the DAP also support certification to the domain specific adaptations of IEC 61508, with compliance demonstrated by the use of cross-referencing matrixes and/or independent certification.
When ordering SAFERTOS® please let our RTOS consultants know which sector specific standard you are working to, so WHIS can include the required documentation with your SAFERTOS® delivery.

IEC 61508 SIL 3 - Industrial
SAFERTOS® and the Industrial Design Assurance Pack were initially certified against the safety standard IEC 61508 to Safety Integrity Level 3, the highest level possible for a software only product, in 2007 by TÜV SÜD. Since then, WHIS has routinely re-certified SAFERTOS® to IEC 61508 on many different compiler/processor combinations.
Typical SAFERTOS® industrial applications include safety critical motor controllers, industrial automation, industrial safety devices, traffic management systems, process engineering, and drilling/mining applications.
SAFERTOS® and its Industrial Design Assurance Pack are pre-certified by TÜV SÜD to SIL 3.


EN 50128 - Rail
The EN 50128 is a specialisation of IEC 61508, and is a European standard for the development of safety-related software for railway applications, both trackside and train side.
The majority of SAFERTOS® rail developers purchase the standard Industrial DAP supporting certification to IEC 61508 SIL 3. For those companies that need to demonstrate compliance to EN 50128, WHIS can provide information required by EN 50128 within the DAP and supply a cross-referencing matrix from the DAP to the EN 50128 standard.
Typical SAFERTOS® rail applications include signalling, control and communication systems.
ISO 26262 - Automotive
The standard ISO 26262 is an adaptation of the Functional Safety standard IEC 61508 for Automotive Electric/Electronic Systems. ISO 26262 defines functional safety for automotive equipment applicable throughout the lifecycle of all automotive electronic and electrical safety-related systems.


IEC 62061 - Safety of Machinery
IEC/EN 62061, “Safety of machinery: Functional safety of electrical, electronic and programmable electronic control systems” is the machinery specific implementation of IEC/EN 61508. It provides requirements that are applicable to the system level design of all safety related electrical control systems for machinery, and also for the design of non-complex subsystems or devices.
SAFERTOS® supports this development standard by the use of the standard SAFERTOS® Industrial IEC 61508 DAP.
Free Demos & Manuals
Download fully functional, time-limited SAFERTOS® demos, plus manuals, datasheets, and more.
Exceptional High Quality
WHIS uses a high integrity lifecycle to develop, maintain and support SAFERTOS® and its Design Assurance Packs that’s supported by a deeply institutionalised Quality Management System (QMS). Work started on the QMS in 1999, when WHIS was developing flight control systems. Over the subsequent years WHIS has developed its QMS to encompass the range of applications and standards it supports today, as demand for its services and products from its customers have broadened and deepened.
Lloyds Register LRQA UK independently certifies the WHIS QMS to ISO 9001, with the applicable scope:
Design, development, installation and support of high integrity systems and software for medical, aviation and industrial applications.
Lloyds Register LRQA UK
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Beyond SAFERTOS® Industrial Devices
- SAFERTOS® CORE: for industrial devices that only need to consider safety and don’t require full certification.
- Safety Components: brings greater robustness to safety critical industry designs. WHIS Safety components are available with a Design Assurance Pack supporting certification to industrial standards.
- Board Support Packages and Drivers: delivered either as commercial grade components, or with a Design Assurance Pack supporting certification.
- Training: maximise the use of your RTOS and increase development proficiency by attending one of our comprehensive training courses.
- Peer review services: sometimes just a few hours of consultancy to review a preliminary design, and check the approach is taken is correct, can deliver significant benefits to the outcome of a project.
- Consultancy services: designed to support our industrial customers, allowing us to share our knowledge and experience of industrial device development to help optimise the final design, improve the design processes and smooth the route to certification.