Modern society depends on a range of systems that are needed to guarantee the safety of their users and the environment. The particular operating system that is used for such safety-critical systems is therefore crucial. This work examines the possible use of the Linux OS kernel and the GNU/Linux operating system for safety-critical systems. To find out if GNU/Linux can be used as a platform for safety-critical applications, the development and testing of Linux was examined by researching the relevant literature. The Open Source development model was compared with traditional software development models. We analyzed whether the current level of development can satisfy the requirements of existing safety-related standards. Two projects were implemented to further enhance the relevance of Linux to systems that are critical for safety. The first one was a fully automated test environment for kernel-level RAID-1 systems, the second one was a wrapper file system that detects and corrects faulty data on hard disks. It turns out that the Open Source development approach taken by the GNU/Linux community is not something that would restrict Linux’s use in safety-critical applications. Most standards that deal with safety-related systems are flexible enough to allow systems to be certified that are developed in new and open ways. Linux therefore has potential as a platform for systems critical to safety. Linux has developed significantly in recent years, and this has made Linux ready to be used in safety-related systems.