CEFS – Certified Expert in Functional Safety

Functional safety for machinery is the part of the overall safety of a system or piece of equipment that depends on automatic protection operating correctly in response to its inputs or failure in a predictable manner (fail-safe). The automatic protection system for machinery should be designed to properly handle likely human errors, systematic errors, hardware failures and operational/environmental stress.  

The international CEFS – Certified Expert in Functional Safety training course explores the standard and technical requirements to design, verify and implement a functional safety system. The training provides a thorough understanding of the applicable standards and a practical approach to designing complex safety systems. Participants are guided through the training from the fundamental understanding of the standards required, through to safety requirements specifications and on to the design of a safety control system, validation etc.  

In this expert training, you learn which standard and technical requirements exist for this type of system. From design and verification to implementation and validation, all central elements are examined. The qualification offers you comprehensive expertise on the corresponding standards as well as practical consideration of the creation of complex safety systems. CEFS includes a series of practical exercises to enable a thorough understanding of the process in ensuring the functional safety of equipment. 

After successful completion of the exam at the end of the training, each participant will be awarded an internationally recognised TÜV NORD certificate. 

Certified Expert in Functional Safety is an industry recognised qualification. Holders of this qualification are in a leading position in the area of functional safety of machinery. Certified Expert in Functional Safety is a title that can only be used by certified training attendees.

Basics of safety control systems  

• Basics of safety control systems  
• Basics of ISO 13849-1  
• Basics of IEC 62061  
• Differences and similarities according to PL and SIL  
• Workshop to assign a required PL  
• Safety requirements specification  
• Creating a safety requirements specification  
• Criteria for safety requirements specification (SRS) creation  
• Workshop to create an SRS  
• Design of a safety system  
• Identifying subsystems  
• Random hardware failures  
• Architectures for safety circuits  
• Reliability of components  
• Detection of dangerous failures  
• Common cause failures  
• Workshop to define the maximum achievable Performance Level  
• Architectural constraints  
• Systematic failures  
• Avoid and control systematic failures  
• Safety related application software  
• SIL / PL of the safety function  
• Validation  
• Creating a validation plan and protocol  
• Workshop drafting a validation protocol  
• Software tools  
• Using software-based tools to check the safety level reached  
• Special considerations (e.g. series connections)  
• Workshop making use of software tools  
• Special cases  
• Class exercise  
• Functional safety management  
• FSM System  
• The need for an FSM system  
• Requirements of an FSM system  

Your optimum route to qualification:

• Introduction to Machinery Safety
• Fundamentals of Machinery Safety
• Design of Safety Control Systems according to ISO 13849 & IEC 62061
• CEFS – Certified Expert in Functional Safety

CEFS is aimed at machine manufacturers, design engineers and integrators with special responsibility in the area of safe control systems. Furthermore, CEFS is specially intended for people who are responsible for Machinery Safety of new and existing machines in day-to-day operations, such as:  

• Design engineers (electrical systems and fluid technology)  
• Technical engineering managers  
• Safety engineers  
• Programmers of safe control systems  
• Project engineers  
• System integrators  
• Test engineers who are responsible for the validation of machinery  

To successfully participate in the expert training, you must verify that you have sufficient knowledge in the field of functional safety. At least one of the following criteria must be fulfilled:  

• Prior knowledge on the topic of functional safety or  
• Participation in a one-day Pilz training or in a different suitable training course on the topic of functional safety, e.g. “Design of Safety Control Systems according to ISO 13849 and IEC 62061” or  
• You already have the qualification CMSE® – Certified Machinery Safety Expert  

Are you unsure about whether your current qualification corresponds to the required level? Feel free to get in touch with us. .We are pleased to offer individual support and outline possible alternatives that will enable you to achieve the qualification level for CEFS.  

A laptop equipped with a webcam and Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge is required to participate in the training – both for classroom and online. CEFS includes an online exam which takes place on a fixed day after the end of the training to allow you to participate comfortably at your workplace or from home.  

The exam is 40 minutes duration, and 25 multiple choice questions are asked. A score of 80% or above must be achieved to pass the examination  

If the examination is passed, you receive the globally recognised TÜV NORD certificate of “CEFS – Certified Expert in Functional Safety”. The certificate is valid for four years and then can be extended for another four years by taking part in a recertification.  

• Design and manage functional safety systems that are in accordance with ISO 13849-1 and IEC 62061.  
• Learn how to successfully validate systems for functional safety in compliance with current standards.  
• Understand all details about the effects of engineering decisions on the reliability and availability of the control system.  
• Learn how to select the most effective and cost-efficient control system that is ideally suited to your requirements.  
• A virtual machine model is used during the training course as part of the workshop. This guarantees practical learning.  
• Attain a personalised and internationally recognised certificate issued by TÜV NORD as a CEFS – Certified Expert in Functional Safety (upon successful completion of the examination).