The term “functional safety” came to life in the nineties. Initially, the solutions to enhance the safety of critical applications primarily involved one or more contactors. However, with the advent of the IEC 61508 standard, more advanced equipment began to prosper and populate the market. This process fostered the origin of safety relays.
There is a vast number of applications where safety relays are employed, spanning various industries. The common denominator of these environments is safety, which is always the top priority.
Safety relays are devices that implement safety functions. In case their intervention is requested by the circumstances, the safety relay must act according to a specific safety routine to mitigate, reduce, or eliminate a hazardous condition.