Struggling with International Safety Standards?
By law, all new machinery within a manufacturing plant must comply with the Machinery Directive (2006/42/EC) and be fitted with adequate safeguards in place to guarantee the safety of machine operators and other plant personnel.
While it is preffered that all machine hazards, wherever possible, should be removed through a process of inherently safe design, this isn't always possible as there are some scenarios whereby access into the machine is necessary, such as maintenance and scheduled cleaning activities.
As a result, all machinery should be designed with a Safety Related Control System that reduces the occurrence of these hazardous situations. A safety interlocking system is what prevents personnel from accessing hazardous machine areas until that machine has entered a safe state of operation.
However, there a number of international safety standards that provide safety requirements and guidance on each type of safeguard as well as standards that deal with specific safety requirements for particular machinery. Therefore, deciding which standard you should follow, to demonstrate compliance, can be a difficult task.
That's why you should consult Underwoods on your next automation safety project.