IEC 61508 (Functional safety of electrical/electronic/programmable electronic safety-related systems) is an
international, industry-independent functional safety standard. The seven-part standard spans IEC 61508-1 to IEC
61508-7. IEC 61508-3 is concerned with software development, verification, and validation. IEC 61508-3 highly
recommends certified tools and translators for safety integrity levels (SILs) SIL 2 and higher; clause 7.4.4
provides “Requirements for support tools.”