1. Method for verifying the processing of an automation task in the form of software (SW 1 ) in a multi-channel safety-oriented automation component ( 1 ) characterized in that in a channel (K 1 ) of the automation component ( 1 ), the software (SW 1 ) is run in an active unit (P 1 ) of the hardware of the channel (K 1 ), and first diversity software (SW 3 ) redundant relative to the software (SW 1 ) is run in a verification unit (V 1 ) in this channel (K 1 ), wherein in a processing step (Z 1 ) of the software (SW 1 ) associated input data (E z ) and first output data (A z ) computed by the software (SW 1 ) in this processing step (Z 1 ) are temporarily stored in a memory unit (M 1 ), and the diversity software (SW 3 ) in the verification unit (V 1 ) computes second output data (A z ′) based on the stored input data (E z ) independently of the processing of the software (SW 1 ) in the active unit (P 1 ), and the second output data (A z ′) computed by the diversity software (SW 3 ) is compared with the stored first output data (A z ) of the software (SW 1 ) in order to verify the processing.