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/ Back to Basics 04 - Safety Instrumented System (SIS)

Back to Basics 04 - Safety Instrumented

System (SIS)

Loren Stewart, CFSE

Sunday, April 21, 2019

In the following series of blogs, we'll go back to basics and run down everything you need to know to get started in
functional safety. We'll start with some more general terms and descriptions and make our way to more advanced
material.

4. SIS
A SIS – Safety Instrumented System – is an implementation of one or more Safety Instrumented Functions (SIF) . A
SIS is composed of any combination of sensor(s), logic solver(s), and final element(s). It usually has a number of
safety functions with different safety integrity levels (SIL), so it is best avoid describing it by a single SIL.

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 A SIS is different from a SIF, which can encompass only a single function and acts in a single way to prevent a
single harmful outcome. One SIS may have multiple SIFs with different individual SIL, so it is incorrect—and
ambiguous— to define a SIL for an entire safety instrumented system.

An example of a SIS is shown below. Note: The Basic Process Control System (BPCS) is also shown, where the
SIS is highlighted in yellow.

Related Items
Back to Basics 01 - Functional Safety (https://www.exida.com/Blog/back-to-basics-01-functional-safety)

Back to Basics 02 - Safety Integrity Level (SIL) (https://www.exida.com/Blog/back-to-basics-02-safety-integrity-level-

sil)

Back to Basics 03 - Safety Instrumented Function (SIF) (https://www.exida.com/Blog/back-to-basics-03-safety-

instrumented-function-sif)

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Other Blog Posts By Loren Stewart

Back to Basics 22 – Cycle Testing (https://www.exida.com/Blog/back-to-basics-22-cycle-testing)
Back to Basics 21 – The B10 Method (https://www.exida.com/Blog/back-to-basics-21-the-b10-method)
Back to Basics 20 – Safe Failure Fraction, SFF (https://www.exida.com/Blog/back-to-the-basics-20-safe-
failure-fraction-sff)
Back to Basics 19 – Route 2H (https://www.exida.com/Blog/back-to-the-basics-19-route-2h)
Back to Basics 18 – Route 1H (https://www.exida.com/Blog/back-to-the-basics-18-route-1h)

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