Explain the principles behind implementing fail-safe design in safety-critical automation systems.

The principles behind implementing fail-safe design in safety-critical automation systems are based on the idea that if a failure occurs, the system should automatically transition to a safe state, minimizing the risk of harm to people, equipment, or the environment. A safety-critical system is one where a failure could have catastrophic consequences. Fail-safe design is achieved through several key principles. The first is using normally de-energized (or normally closed) circuits. This means that the safety fun....