Machinery Safety - System Implementation

We can help you understand your compliance to internationally recognized standards and regulations. Compliance and Safety is such a huge very broad topic, that most of the employees in companies that are involved in safety – having such a lot to attend to – they don`t have the time to be informed or comply.

The harmonised European Standard EN 954-1 for the design of safety related parts of the control system lists 5 categories for the required behaviour

of that part. It is deemed the designer`s responsibility to objectively assess the risk and identify what level is required for the safety related control.

The following information is a guide to determine those levels. It must be stressed that it is only intended as a guide for the designer, and must be used together with quantified risk assessment data.

where

S. Severity of injury
S1 Slight (normally reversible)
S2 Serious (normally non-reversible)
Take account of the worst case injury. If this is no more than a slight cut or bruise, then select S1. If the consequences are more severe, up to and including death, then select S2.
F. Frequency and/or exposure time to hazard
F1 Seldom to quite often and/or short exposure
F2 Frequent to continuous and/or long exposure
Select F2 if a person is exposed to the hazard point frequently. It is irrelevant whether it is the same person or a different person. Select F1 if access is only required from time to time and the exposure time is short.
P. Possibility of avoiding the hazard
P1 Possible under specific conditions

P2 Less possible
This is generally related to the speed at which the hazard arises, proximity to the hazard point, level of training and expertise of operators. If, in your opinion, the operator could recognise the hazard and avoid injury, select P1. otherwise, select P2.

Periodically operated safety gate of a lathe. A finished workpiece is removed manually from a collet chuck and a new one inserted. Then the lathing job is started. At the end the workpiece is removed again by hand.