What is the purpose of separation of duties and access control for safety systems?

• A. To prevent improper changes and protect integrity; enforce change control, independent validation, and restricted access to safety-related software and hardware.
• B. To speed up software deployment.
• C. To reduce the need for cybersecurity measures.
• D. To simplify user training.

Answer: (A)

Separation of duties and access control are about safeguarding the reliability and safety of critical systems by ensuring that no one person can both initiate and approve changes, and that only authorized individuals can interact with safety-related software and hardware. This structure protects integrity by enforcing formal change control, requiring independent validation, and restricting access so that modifications are made through approved procedures and reviewed before they are deployed. In safety systems, this prevents unauthorized or erroneous changes from compromising performance or safety margins. The other ideas focus on speed, reducing protections, or training ease, none of which address the essential governance and protection of critical equipment and software that safeguard plant safety.