ISO 26262 Consulting for Road Vehicle Functional Safety
ISO 26262 (“Road vehicles: Functional safety”) is the international standard governing functional safety for electrical and electronic systems in production road vehicles. Its second edition, published in 2018, spans 12 parts covering the full safety lifecycle from concept through production, operation, and decommissioning. PRAETORIO helps automotive suppliers and manufacturers apply ISO 26262 to their product development, from initial hazard analysis through certification-ready safety case documentation.
Compliance with ISO 26262 is demonstrated through evidence: a documented, defensible safety case built on real hazard analysis, architecture, and verification work, not a retrofitted paper trail.
What ISO 26262 Requires
ISO 26262 defines a structured safety lifecycle across its 12 parts:
- Concept phase: item definition and Hazard Analysis and Risk Assessment (HARA), producing safety goals and Automotive Safety Integrity Level (ASIL: QM, A, B, C, D) ratings for identified hazards.
- Functional safety concept: deriving functional safety requirements from safety goals, allocated to the preliminary system architecture.
- Technical safety concept: refining functional safety requirements into technical safety requirements and defining safety mechanisms.
- Hardware development (Part 5): hardware safety requirements, architectural metrics (single-point and latent fault metrics), and hardware safety analysis.
- Software development (Part 6): software safety requirements, architectural and unit design, coding guideline compliance (typically MISRA C), and software verification.
- Production, operation, service, and decommissioning (Part 7): safety-relevant requirements extending beyond initial development into the vehicle’s operational life.
- Supporting processes (Part 8): configuration management, change management, verification, and confidence in the use of software tools.
- ASIL-oriented and safety-oriented analyses (Part 9): ASIL decomposition, safety analysis methods, and dependent failure analysis.
Why ISO 26262 Compliance Matters
It is a market access requirement, not a differentiator. OEMs and Tier 1 integrators routinely require ISO 26262 compliance evidence as a condition of program participation for any electrical or electronic system with safety relevance.
ASIL determination shapes engineering effort proportionally. Not every function requires the same rigor: correctly determining ASIL ratings through HARA focuses safety engineering effort where it is actually needed, rather than over- or under-engineering across the board.
The standard is entering a transition period. The current second edition (2018) remains authoritative, but a third edition is in active development with working drafts registered as of 2026: programs starting now should build to the current edition while monitoring the revision’s progress.
Software safety compliance depends on coding practice. ISO 26262 Part 6 software safety requirements are typically satisfied through MISRA C-compliant implementation and static analysis evidence, connecting the safety case directly to how firmware is actually written.
A safety case is only as strong as its underlying evidence. Assessors and auditors evaluate whether the documented safety case is actually supported by the hazard analysis, architecture decisions, and verification results behind it: a superficially complete documentation package that lacks genuine engineering substance does not withstand scrutiny.
Our Approach
PRAETORIO supports ISO 26262 compliance as a structured, evidence-based program:
- Item definition and HARA: define the item under analysis and conduct hazard analysis and risk assessment to establish ASIL ratings and safety goals.
- Functional safety concept development: derive functional safety requirements and allocate them to a preliminary architecture.
- Technical safety concept development: define technical safety requirements and safety mechanisms at the system level.
- Hardware safety analysis: support hardware safety requirements, architectural metrics calculation, and hardware safety analysis per Part 5.
- Software safety development support: support software safety requirements, design, coding standard compliance, and verification per Part 6.
- Safety verification and validation: plan and support safety-specific test activities, including fault injection where applicable.
- Safety case assembly: compile the complete safety case and supporting work products.
- Assessment support: support internal confirmation measures or external functional safety assessment.
Deliverables
- Item definition and HARA report with ASIL ratings and safety goals
- Functional safety concept and requirements documentation
- Technical safety concept and safety mechanism specification
- Hardware safety analysis and architectural metrics
- Software safety verification evidence (including coding standard compliance)
- Complete ISO 26262 safety case documentation
- Assessment and confirmation measure support
How PRAETORIO Can Support Your Team
- Full ISO 26262 program support, from item definition and HARA through safety case assembly, for a new electrical or electronic system.
- ASIL determination and decomposition, establishing safety integrity levels and allocating them appropriately across a system architecture.
- Hardware and software safety development support, applying Part 5 and Part 6 requirements during detailed design and implementation.
- Gap assessment, reviewing an existing safety program or legacy product against current ISO 26262 requirements.
- Safety case documentation, assembling defensible, evidence-backed safety case packages for internal or external assessment.
- Augmentation of an existing functional safety team, contributing specific hazard analysis, architecture, or verification expertise for a defined scope.
Typical Use Cases
- A new electrical or electronic vehicle system needing a full ISO 26262 program from initial hazard analysis through safety case documentation.
- A supplier whose OEM customer requires ISO 26262 compliance evidence as a condition of program qualification.
- An organization needing ASIL determination and requirement derivation for a new system or feature addition.
- A team needing hardware or software safety analysis support to complete Part 5 or Part 6 work products.
- An organization needing an existing functional safety program assessed for gaps ahead of a certification or assessment milestone.
- A company needing ISO 26262 engineering capacity to augment an internal team during a critical program phase.
Why PRAETORIO
- Direct hands-on experience applying ISO 26262 across hazard analysis, architecture, hardware and software safety development, and safety case assembly.
- More than 15 years of experience in automotive engineering, including power electronics applications where ISO 26262 compliance is a core program requirement.
- Practical connection between ISO 26262 Part 6 software safety requirements and MISRA C-compliant firmware implementation, grounding the safety case in actual engineering practice.
- Engineering-oriented delivery: safety requirements are verified through real architecture, implementation, and test evidence, supporting a defensible safety case rather than a documentation exercise.
Related Services
- Functional Safety Consulting: the overall functional safety practice this page supports
- Automotive SPICE Consulting: process assessment complementary to ISO 26262 compliance
- Embedded Software Development: firmware implementation against ISO 26262 Part 6 requirements
- Embedded Systems Engineering: system architecture coordinated with safety requirements
- Systems Engineering: broader systems engineering discipline relevant to safety architecture
- Cybersecurity Engineering: cross-cutting cybersecurity requirements coordinated with functional safety
FAQ
What is ISO 26262?
ISO 26262 is the international standard defining functional safety requirements for electrical and electronic systems in production road vehicles, covering a full safety lifecycle across 12 parts from concept through production, operation, and decommissioning.
What is the current edition of ISO 26262?
ISO 26262:2018 (second edition) is the current published standard. A third edition is in development, with working drafts registered as of 2026, but has not yet been published: current programs should continue to work to the 2018 edition.
What are ASIL levels and how are they determined?
Automotive Safety Integrity Levels (ASIL: QM, A, B, C, D, in increasing order of rigor) are determined during Hazard Analysis and Risk Assessment (HARA) based on a hazardous event’s severity, exposure, and controllability, and drive the rigor required for subsequent safety engineering activities.
What is the difference between the functional safety concept and the technical safety concept?
The functional safety concept derives functional safety requirements from safety goals at a relatively abstract level. The technical safety concept refines these into technical safety requirements and specific safety mechanisms defined against the actual system architecture.
How does MISRA C relate to ISO 26262 compliance?
ISO 26262 Part 6 requires coding guideline compliance and static analysis evidence as part of software safety verification; MISRA C is the coding standard most commonly used to satisfy this requirement in automotive software development.
Does ISO 26262 apply to every electrical or electronic system in a vehicle?
Not with equal rigor. HARA determines whether a system presents a hazard requiring an ASIL rating above QM (no specific safety requirements); systems without safety-relevant hazards may be developed under a quality management process without full ISO 26262 rigor.
Can PRAETORIO support an existing ISO 26262 program rather than owning the full engagement?
Yes. Many engagements involve augmenting an internal team with specific hazard analysis, architecture, verification, or safety case documentation expertise for a defined scope, rather than a full end-to-end program.
Need to Establish or Complete an ISO 26262 Compliance Program?
PRAETORIO can support your team from hazard analysis and ASIL determination through hardware and software safety development, verification, and safety case assembly. Contact us to discuss your ISO 26262 requirements.
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