ABB consultant qualifies as TUV Functional Safety Expert

Nunns comments: "It is a good demonstration of my professionalism and competence, but it also demonstrates ABB's competence and capability in functional safety at a global level. I could not have reached this position without the commitment of the company."

TUV Rheinland offers a two-tiered system of functional safety qualifications, with Functional Safety Engineers and Functional Safety Experts. ABB already has several TUV-certified Functional Safety Engineers operating in key markets around the world, but Nunns is the first ABB engineer to qualify as an Expert.

Nunns works as a consultant and advisor to ABB's 18 Safety Execution Centres (SECs), which are geographically positioned to serve key markets around the world, particularly in the oil and gas, chemical and pharmaceutical industries. He is based in ABB's Safety Lead Competency Centre (LCC) in the UK.

He explains: "Functional safety is all-embracing. It not only covers the safety systems themselves, but also all aspects of the safety lifecycle and supply chains that together ensure that the required functional safety performance is achieved."

The overarching standard for function safety is IEC 61508. Nunns is currently leading ABB's efforts to have all of its SECs certified to the daughter standard for the process industries, IEC 61511.

Nunns had to submit substantial supporting information when applying for the TUV award. Functional Safety Experts naturally need the right qualifications and at least 10 years of experience, complete with detailed case studies completed, publications and presentations and references from senior industry figures.