1. A method for creating an overall user program for a controller of an automated system comprising a plurality of hardware installations, wherein each of said hardware installations includes at least one automated machine device and a plurality of hardware components comprising a number of sensors and actuators, including the steps of: sub-dividing the overall user program into a matrix-like organization comprising operational sub-programs and safety-related sub-programs, wherein each of the operational sub-programs is intended to operationally control one particular automated machine device, and each of the safety-related sub-programs is intended to produce a signal output as a function of at least one signal input from at least one generic type of safety sensor; creating a separate operational sub-program for controlling the operation of each of said at least one automated machine device in each of said plurality of hardware installations; creating a plurality of safety-related sub-programs independent of said operational sub-programs for controlling various safety-related aspects of the automated system that are common to more than one of said plurality of hardware installations, wherein each of said plurality of safety-related sub-programs includes an algorithm for processing individual signal inputs from a different generic type of safety sensor and producing output signals as a function of said input signals; assigning a program connection between each of a particular type of safety sensor from a particular hardware installation and a signal input to one of the safety-related sub-program containing the algorithm for processing signals from said particular type of safety sensor, and a connection between the corresponding signal output from said one safety-related sub-program and an actuator from said particular hardware installation; iteratively repeating the above assigning step for each of the other different types of safety sensors from said particular hardware installation; iteratively repeating the above two assigning steps for each of said plurality of hardware installations; and combining the operational sub-programs with the safety-related sub-programs to form the overall user program; wherein the safety-related sub-programs are protected against unauthorized modifications.