ISO 26262-3-2018 PDF

Full title and description

ISO 26262-3:2018 — Road vehicles — Functional safety — Part 3: Concept phase. This part of ISO 26262 specifies requirements and guidance for the concept phase of the automotive functional safety lifecycle, including item definition, hazard analysis and risk assessment (HARA), and the development of the functional safety concept.

Abstract

This document applies to safety-related systems that include one or more electrical and/or electronic (E/E) systems installed in series-production road vehicles (excluding mopeds). It defines the framework and mandatory requirements for initiating the safety lifecycle, identifying hazards, performing risk assessment and ASIL determination, and deriving safety goals and the functional safety concept. Systems released for production or already under development before publication are treated with tailoring options; the standard does not address non-malfunction hazards (e.g., fire, toxicity) unless they stem from E/E malfunctions.

General information

• Status: Published.
• Publication date: 17 December 2018 (Edition 2, 2018).
• Publisher: International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
• ICS / categories: 43.040.10 — Road vehicles engineering / electrical and electronic equipment.
• Edition / version: Edition 2 (2018), replaces ISO 26262-3:2011.
• Number of pages: 28 pages (typical PDF/print edition).

Scope

Specifies requirements for the concept phase of the automotive functional safety lifecycle: defining the item (system or function under consideration), performing hazard analysis and risk assessment (HARA) to determine Automotive Safety Integrity Levels (ASILs), and producing the functional safety concept and associated safety goals. It is intended for series-production road vehicles and addresses tailoring for existing products and integrations; it excludes hazards not caused by E/E malfunctions.

Key topics and requirements

• Item definition: scope, boundaries, interfaces and operational/environmental context.
• Hazard analysis and risk assessment (HARA): identification of hazardous events, classification of severity, exposure and controllability, and ASIL determination.
• Safety goals: derivation of top-level requirements to mitigate identified hazards.
• Functional safety concept: allocation of safety requirements at the functional level (including necessary safety mechanisms and architectural constraints).
• Tailoring and integration guidance: handling existing systems, modifications and integration of components not originally developed to ISO 26262.
• Work products and objectives for the concept phase (summary in Annex A).

Typical use and users

Used by automotive OEMs, Tier‑1 and Tier‑2 suppliers, functional safety engineers, system architects, verification/validation teams, safety managers, certification and audit bodies, and consultants to establish and document the concept-phase safety activities and to derive ASIL-rated safety goals and functional safety concepts for E/E systems.

Related standards

ISO 26262 is a multi-part standard; Part 3 (Concept phase) is directly related to other parts such as Part 1 (vocabulary and general principles), Part 4 (product development: system level), Part 5 (hardware), Part 6 (software), Part 7 (production, operation, service, decommissioning), Part 8 (supporting processes), Part 9 (ASIL-oriented and safety-oriented analyses) and Part 10 (guideline on ISO 26262). National/adopted versions and industry-specific complementary standards may also apply.

Keywords

Functional safety, ISO 26262, concept phase, item definition, hazard analysis and risk assessment (HARA), ASIL, safety goals, functional safety concept, E/E systems, automotive.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: ISO 26262-3:2018 is Part 3 of the ISO 26262 series — the module that defines requirements for the concept phase of the automotive functional safety lifecycle (item definition, HARA, ASIL determination and functional safety concept).

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers initiation of the safety lifecycle, detailed item definition, identification and analysis of hazards, risk assessment (severity/exposure/controllability), derivation of safety goals and the functional safety concept, and provides work-product guidance for the concept phase. It excludes non‑E/E hazards unless caused by E/E malfunctions.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Automotive OEMs, suppliers, system and safety engineers, safety managers, auditors, certification bodies and consultants who are responsible for defining and documenting concept-phase safety activities and deriving ASIL-rated requirements.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: The edition published on 17 December 2018 (Edition 2) is the current published version that replaced the 2011 edition. The ISO entry notes periodic review and potential future revision activity, so users should confirm the current status before compliance activities.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes — ISO 26262 is a multi-part international standard covering functional safety for road vehicles; Part 3 is the concept-phase part and is intended to be used together with the other parts of ISO 26262.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: Functional safety, HARA, ASIL, safety goals, functional safety concept, item definition, E/E systems, automotive.