Our Philosophy
Functional safety is not about checking boxes or doing paperwork. It is about reducing risk through the rigorous application of engineering principles. Quite literally, it is about saving lives.
Here at FSE, we like to mix the more philosophical safety questions with practical technical advice. Our goal is to publish an interesting mix of substantial and thought-provoking content.
Safety is deadly serious business, but we still have a good time and try to keep a sense of humor. The best engineers have passion and enjoy what they do. That is what we strive toward here.
If you enjoy this site and are also interested in industrial process safety, please checkout our sister site at SISEngineer.com.
Meet the Team
This site is currently a solo project, but we are always looking for talented engineers and writers that would like to contribute. We are open to either associate editors, ongoing contributors, or individual articles.
Stephen Thomas, PE
Founder & Editor
Stephen is an automation engineer and functional safety expert with over 25 years of experience. He is currently a system safety engineer with a leading developer of autonomous vehicle technology.
Prior to pivoting to autonomous vehicles, Stephen spent over 20 years in the chemicals and refining industries, including automation and functional safety leadership roles with ExxonMobil and Chevron.
Stephen is a member of the IEC 61508 and IEC 61511 functional safety committees. He is a member of the non-profit CFSE Advisory Board advising the exida CFSE program. He was a keynote speaker at the 2021 International System Safety Conference. He is an associate editor for the Journal of System Safety.
Stephen holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Auburn University and a Masters in Reliability Engineering from Maryland. He holds several industry certifications, including PE, CFSE, TUV FS-Eng, ASQ-CRE, CISSP, and IEC 61511 SIS Expert.
Contact Stephen on LinkedIn
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Legal Disclaimer
FunctionalSafetyEngineer.com is an independent, non-profit website that is providing educational information for purposes of general guidance.
All information on this website is provided “as-is”. The author(s) and the publisher will assume no liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage related directly or indirectly to the information on this website. No warranties of any kind, express or implied, are made. The publisher will provide no remedy for indirect, consequential, punitive, or incidental damages arising from this website, including such from negligence, strict liability, or breach of warranty or contract, even after notice of the possibility of such damages.
The authors and publisher are not engaged in rendering engineering, legal, or other professional services of any type. Prior to acting upon any information or opinions expressed in this website, please seek the services of a competent professional.
The views expressed on this site are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their employers or affiliated companies. No endorsement by any company is claimed or implied.
It is the policy of this website never to publish proprietary information, trade secrets, or other leaked internal company information. Please report suspected violations to the editor immediately.