ISO 26262-3:2018 - Concept phase (Road vehicles - Functional safety)

Overview

ISO 26262-3:2018 is Part 3 of the ISO 26262 functional safety series for road vehicles. It defines the concept phase requirements for safety-related electrical/electronic (E/E) systems in series-production road vehicles (excluding mopeds and unique E/E systems for drivers with disabilities). The standard provides a framework to integrate functional safety activities into a company‑specific development process and focuses on early lifecycle work products: item definition, hazard analysis and risk assessment, and the functional safety concept. It addresses hazards caused by malfunctioning E/E systems (including system interactions) but does not cover non‑malfunction physical hazards (e.g., fire, toxicity) unless directly caused by E/E malfunction.

Keywords: ISO 26262-3:2018, functional safety, concept phase, automotive, E/E systems, hazard analysis, ASIL, safety goals.

Key Topics and Requirements

• Item definition: Establish scope, system boundaries, intended functionality and interfaces for the item under analysis.
• Hazard analysis and risk assessment (HARA): Systematic identification of hazards, classification of hazardous events, and assignment of Automotive Safety Integrity Levels (ASILs) to derive safety goals.
• Functional safety concept: Define high‑level functional safety requirements and safety measures (including safety validation criteria) that satisfy the safety goals for the concept phase.
• Tailoring and integration: Guidance on tailoring the safety lifecycle for alterations to existing systems or integration of legacy systems not originally developed to ISO 26262.
• Process and technical orientation: The standard mixes technical product requirements and process requirements to demonstrate organizational capability for functional safety.
• Verification and work products: Specifies expected outputs and verification activities for the concept phase; Annex A provides an overview of objectives, prerequisites and work products.

Applications and Who Uses It

ISO 26262-3:2018 is used by:

• Automotive OEMs and tier‑1 suppliers for early safety planning and procurement specifications.
• System architects, functional safety engineers, and safety managers to drive HARA, derive safety goals, and define high‑level safety requirements.
• Project teams integrating legacy systems or tailoring development processes for compliance.
• Compliance and verification teams preparing evidence for safety approval and audits.

Practical applications include new vehicle features, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), E/E architecture changes, and safety case preparation during concept development.

Related Standards

• ISO 26262 series (Parts 1–12) - overarching functional safety lifecycle and supporting parts (e.g., system, hardware, software, production).
• IEC 61508 - parent standard for functional safety (sector‑agnostic), referenced by ISO 26262.
• Application-specific safety standards may complement ISO 26262 depending on vehicle or subsystem.

ISO 26262-3:2018 is essential for organizations seeking a structured, risk‑based approach to define safety goals and concept‑level requirements for automotive E/E systems.