Safety-critical software and current standards initiatives

This paper sets out to examine the role of standards in the development of safety-critical software. It starts with a brief discussion on the nature and role of standards and then moves on to identify some of the standards making bodies. Safety-critical software is next discussed and the problems of software safety are contrasted with those of traditional electromechanical devices. There then follows a review of some of the current initiatives to produce standards addressing the development of safety-critical systems containing software. Two standards are then examined in detail to provide an insight into what requirements are placed on the developers of safety-critical software. Lastly, mention is made of some weaknesses that are inherent in today's standards, and some of the efforts that are being made to address these problems are discussed.