safety-critical
Lives depend on
Safety-critical describes systems or components where failure could cause serious injury, death, or catastrophic damage.
The term appears most often in engineering, aviation, medicine, and software development: safety-critical software in medical devices, safety-critical systems in nuclear plants.
Such systems require rigorous testing, redundancy, and regulatory oversight because the stakes of malfunction are unacceptable.
Attestation of qualification
- standardsAccepted levels of quality
- regulationsEnforced rules and standards
- oversightSupervision or inadvertent omission
- auditFormal accounts examination
inspection · accreditation · FDA approval · airworthiness · regulatory bodies · traceability · documentation · conformance
System continues despite failures
- redundancyNeedless duplication
- verificationProving something accurate
- validationConfirming truth or accuracy
- risk assessmentEvaluating likelihood of harm
human factors · control systems · protective measures · accident prevention · testing protocols · error handling · graceful degradation
Flying or operating aircraft
- nuclearOf atomic energy
- medical devicesTools for patient care
- automotiveRelating to motor vehicles
- aerospaceAtmosphere plus outer void
railways · chemical plants · power plants · air traffic control · spacecraft · pacemakers · flight control · braking systems
Having ultimate stakes
- disasterSudden ruinous event
- accidentUnintended harmful event
- fatalityDeath from accident
- injuryPhysical or psychological harm
environmental damage · liability · recall · grounding · shutdown · investigation · root cause · incident
certification
Attestation of qualification
- standardsAccepted levels of quality
- regulationsEnforced rules and standards
- oversightSupervision or inadvertent omission
audit · inspection · accreditation · FDA approval · airworthiness · regulatory bodies · traceability · documentation · conformance
fault tolerance
System continues despite failures
- redundancyNeedless duplication
- verificationProving something accurate
- validationConfirming truth or accuracy
risk assessment · human factors · control systems · protective measures · accident prevention · testing protocols · error handling · graceful degradation
aviation
Flying or operating aircraft
- nuclearOf atomic energy
- medical devicesTools for patient care
- automotiveRelating to motor vehicles
aerospace · railways · chemical plants · power plants · air traffic control · spacecraft · pacemakers · flight control · braking systems · life support
life-or-death
Having ultimate stakes
injury · environmental damage · liability · recall · grounding · shutdown · investigation · root cause · incident · malfunction
safety-criticalnon-critical
Not urgently important
non-essential · trivial · inconsequential · nice-to-have · cosmetic
safety-criticalconsumer-grade
Designed for ordinary buyers
fault-tolerant · unregulated · quick-and-dirty · disposable · uncertified
safety-criticalunregulated
Not controlled by rules
uncertified · non-certified · exempt · uncontrolled · informal
safety, critical, safe, safely, unsafe, safeness, safeguard, safekeeping, safes