Implementing Safety Analysis: Our Experience

Lotus started practising safety analysis in the late 1990s, based on its involvement with MISRA, of which it remains a founding and Controlling Member. As practical experience and expertise have grown and been built on, various lessons have been learnt.

The objective of this paper is to present and discuss our experiences as we have increasingly applied safety engineering to such systems as engine management, hybrid vehicle controllers and suspension control; and the hurdles that Lotus has overcome in implementing a safety engineering methodology.

The paper concludes with generic recommendations for successfully implementing a safety culture and safety engineering methodology in the automotive scenario.