It applies a systemic and uncertainty-based risk perspective, including how to deal with different types of failure, increasing complexity, and uncertain assumptions. Like the Norwegian regulations, this framework also refers to international safety standards for programmable electronic systems. However, the Safety 4.0 framework puts these standards into a wider context by highlighting their scope, value and limitations, and the areas where they are open to interpretation.
The Safety 4.0 framework is a set of guidelines that are structured in four different parts (see the figure below):
I. Principles and approach for safety demonstration. Provides an overview of how the other three parts of the guidelines are structured and describes the governing framework principles of the Safety 4.0 approach to safety demonstration.
II. Safety demonstration process for novel subsea solutions. Provides a high-level standardized process for safety demonstration including activities and stakeholder involvement related to risk assessment, barrier management and technology qualification. The focus of this guideline is on what needs to be done to demonstrate safety effectively and efficiently.
III. Risk description and safety comparison. Provides guidance on a standardised risk description and comparison that can support robust decisions and communication related to safety.
IV. Developing a safety argument. Gives guidance on how a structured argumentation is to be performed to provide grounds for justified confidence that the solution is safe. It emphasizes the systems perspective and provides guidance on how to address complexity.
Using the framework will provide industry stakeholders with an alternative or supplementary argumentation strategy to demonstrate that novel solutions meet the intent of regulations and are fit for purpose.
The framework could make it possible to adopt solutions that are cheaper to deploy and operate while being just as safe as existing solutions.