Citation

Redmill F. Safety Sci. 2004; 42(5): 355-367.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2004, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Modern safety standards place considerable emphasis on development-process evidence in the assessment of safety-related systems. The move to use commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components in such systems has stimulated a debate about their appropriateness, for a feature of COTS items is usually a lack of development-process evidence. After pointing out the attractions of COTS, this paper addresses the main components of the debate: evidence, risk, and the often unmentioned challenge posed by the use of COTS items to the rigorous requirements of the standards. Finally, the paper points to the need for a convention on the evidence that should be provided to support claims for the safety of COTS items.