The working group meets up to 4 times a year. Its work includes organising seminars and producing guidance on the topic of ISA work. The panel is affiliated to the IET, the BCS and the Safety & Reliability Society.
The ISA Working Group is made up of representatives from many parts of the safety critical industry.
What is ISA?
Independent safety assessment is the formation of a judgement, separate and independent from any system design, development or operational personnel, that the safety requirements for the system are appropriate and adequate for the planned application and that the system satisfies those safety requirements. A person who carries out independent safety assessment is known as an independent safety assessor or ISA. (Note: In some industry sectors the term ‘Functional Safety Assessor’ is used for ‘Safety Assessor’.)
Independent safety assessment is the formation of a judgement, separate and independent from any system design, development or operational personnel, that the safety requirements for the system are appropriate and adequate for the planned application and that the system satisfies those safety requirements.
Find more out about the ISA and the ISA working group:
ISA working group aims and objectives
Guidance documents - The ISA Working Group invites public comment on its draft guidance on the procurement of ISAs. This guidance is intended to provide a benchmark for procurement processes and procedures, not to replace, augment or define them.
Factfiles - The ISA Working Group has produced a number of documents which may be of use to ISAs and people interested in this field. These factfiles include a Code of Practice and a Competence Framework for ISAs.
Engineering Council Guidance on Risk - This guidance describes the role of professional engineers and technicians in dealing with risk, and their responsibilities to society.
Seminars - The ISA Working Group holds a seminar roughly every 2 years to promote the role of Independent Safety Assurance and provide a professional development opportunity for the ISA community.
MOD Guidance - The following guidance expands and clarifies the guidelines and requirements in MOD safety standards on the use of the Independent Safety Auditors (ISAs).
Contact ISA WG
The members of the working group are happy to discuss the work of the ISA and to answer questions. If you would like to contact any of the above, then please contact
Email: isawg @theiet.org