Software Safety
In software engineering, software system safety optimizes system safety in the design, development, use, and maintenance of software systems and their integration with safety-critical hardware systems in an operational environment
HCRQ's expertise in software safety (sometimes referred to as software system safety) dates back to 1986. In those days, and in a few years to follow, software safety was not a popular concept and we were educating many people and organizations. This came with one down side; however, when we received anonymous death threats to cease and desist. Our innovative concepts in software safety was a threat to the status quo. We courageously pushed forward and, as a result, potentially saved many lives.
We have first-hand experience with software safety programs performed concurrently with system development.
HCRQ also has experience in forensic analysis of software-related accidents including the accidents associated with the THERAC-25 Cancer Therapy Machine.
Our teaching of software safety courses dates back to 1992.
HCRQ offers expertise in a number of areas including:
To this day, there are many systems where inadequate attention is being paid to software safety. In addition, if you were to ask a group of people what software safety means you will likely get different answers. There is a "right" answer and, in the case of airborne systems, it is not addressed by RTCA DO-178C.
There are "software safety engineers" that have next to no insight into preferred languages and operating systems. Do they have experience with the programming language that you are using? Knowledge of language subsets, static code analyzers? HCRQ has experience with assembly, C, C++, Ada, FORTRAN, and a host of others. Compare this with a company, such as ours, where expertise encompasses not only electrical engineering and system safety but software safety with a foundation in computer science.
Occasionally our customers are faced with software quantification (i.e., estimating software failure rates / software probabilities of failure). We have explained what ourselves and others have done in situations like this.
If you need software safety analyses performed, or are seeking expert advice or comprehensive training rest assured there is no other company with the experience and know-how of HCRQ.
Newsletters
We are pleased to say that our system safety/software safety newsletters, dating back to 2008, now have a readership of over 4,000.
Our newsletters sometimes contain job ads for other companies as well as conference announcements.
Want to subscribe (free)? Click here to email us.
We have first-hand experience with software safety programs performed concurrently with system development.
HCRQ also has experience in forensic analysis of software-related accidents including the accidents associated with the THERAC-25 Cancer Therapy Machine.
Our teaching of software safety courses dates back to 1992.
HCRQ offers expertise in a number of areas including:
- Software Safety Consulting,
- Software Safety Course,
- Software Safety Program Plans Webinar,
- Software Control Categories (SCCs),
- Safety Integrity Levels (SILs),
- Software Development Assurance Levels (SDALs),
- SoftWare Assurance Levels (SWALs),
- MIL-STD-882E SWCi 1,
- Software FMEA,
- Software FTA,
- Formal Methods,
- N-Version Programming,
- Software Safety Assurance Concepts,
- Software Assertions,
- RTOS,
- Language Subsets,
- Software Safety Cases,
- AMCOM 385-17 (experience dating back to 2008),
- IEC 61508 (experience dating back to 1998),
- IEEE 1228 (experience dating back to 1994),
- CENELEC EN 50128 (experience dating back to 1998),
- IEEE 1483 (experience dating back to 2000),
- Joint Software Systems Safety Engineering Handbook (experience dating back to 1997),
- AOP-52,
- NASA Software Safety Standard,
- NASA Software Safety Guidebook.
To this day, there are many systems where inadequate attention is being paid to software safety. In addition, if you were to ask a group of people what software safety means you will likely get different answers. There is a "right" answer and, in the case of airborne systems, it is not addressed by RTCA DO-178C.
There are "software safety engineers" that have next to no insight into preferred languages and operating systems. Do they have experience with the programming language that you are using? Knowledge of language subsets, static code analyzers? HCRQ has experience with assembly, C, C++, Ada, FORTRAN, and a host of others. Compare this with a company, such as ours, where expertise encompasses not only electrical engineering and system safety but software safety with a foundation in computer science.
Occasionally our customers are faced with software quantification (i.e., estimating software failure rates / software probabilities of failure). We have explained what ourselves and others have done in situations like this.
If you need software safety analyses performed, or are seeking expert advice or comprehensive training rest assured there is no other company with the experience and know-how of HCRQ.
Newsletters
We are pleased to say that our system safety/software safety newsletters, dating back to 2008, now have a readership of over 4,000.
Our newsletters sometimes contain job ads for other companies as well as conference announcements.
Want to subscribe (free)? Click here to email us.
