The General Council of Professional Associations of Computer Engineering (CCII) has urged the launch of an effective regulation of the profession that sets requirements for demonstrable knowledge and competencies to assume responsibilities in critical systems, following the Toledo railway catastrophe, and has at the same time called for respect for the investigations into the causes of the accident.
In a public note, the entity has conveyed its solidarity to the victims and their loved ones and has expressed its recognition of the professionals who are participating in the care of the affected people. Likewise, it has emphasized that the inquiries must clarify what happened and determine the corresponding responsibilities.
The Council has focused on the relevance of computer science in the protection of critical infrastructures and, specifically, in the railway sector. Thus, it has mentioned train speed supervision systems, such as ERTMS/ETCS, those for managing the power supply and interlockings, whose operation has direct effects on people’s safety.
In its view, the design, configuration and maintenance of these systems require highly specialized knowledge and strict verification procedures. It has also called for risks to be analyzed from the design phase and throughout the entire useful life of the solutions, and for any change affecting safety to be based on tests and documented decisions.
Responsibilities and professional competencies
The CCII has insisted on the importance of clearly determining who designs, who verifies and who authorizes the decisions that affect these systems. That responsibility, it has added, also extends to the companies and administrations that contract, implement and operate them, which must provide the necessary resources and conditions to guarantee their safety.
Verifiable guarantees and supervision
For this reason, it has proposed that future regulation define the required competencies and the obligations linked to professional practice, as well as oversight and deontological responsibility mechanisms, especially in those functions in which an error could cause serious harm. University education, specialization and continuous updating must constitute, according to the Council, "verifiable guarantees for the citizenry".
The organization has specified that this framework must be proportionate to the level of risk of each activity and complement the technical standards, independent assessment and security obligations already in force in each sector. Likewise, it has defended that the multidisciplinary nature of these projects be recognized and that each professional assume only functions for which they have the appropriate training.
Finally, the Council has asked the public authorities to advance in this regulatory framework in collaboration with universities, professional organizations and the sectors involved, in order to strengthen security guarantees and support the assumption of responsibility for critical computer systems through accredited knowledge and skills.