This paper was presented by Mike Dean to the 5th Safety Control Systems Conference held by IDC Technologies in Perth over 25-26th March 2015.

Correct allocation of activities and deliverables related to the safety lifecycle of AS 61508 between a client (end-user) and contractor is crucial to achieving success for a project targeting AS 61508 compliance.

Too often end-users establish specifications and scopes of work with the stated intention for the contractor to carry out all of the activities and providing all of the deliverables of overall safety lifecycle phases 1 to 13 , without appreciation
of their own key role.

End-users need to understand their own legal obligations and the intent of AS 61508 for establishing overall safety requirements. The paper proposes an allocation of responsibilities which achieves legal and AS 61508 compliance.