'Safety first' call after EU Machinery Directive extension
14 Dec 2009
Brussels – Following a decision by the EC Machinery Working Group to extend the transition period of the existing EN 954-1 machinery safety standard beyond its expected end-of-life deadline of December 2009, but for an unspecified amount of time, machine designers and builders now face the dilemma of which safety standard to use.
Companies have now to decide whether to stick with EN 954-1 or embrace its emerging, more complex successor, EN ISO 13849-1,even though the EU Commission has yet to define an exact timescale for the extension of the older standard. The EC is expected to issue its decision 15-16 Dec – when industry will finally discover how much longer the presumption of conformity for EN 954-1 in parallel with EN ISO 13849-1 and EN/IEC 62061 will apply.
“As safety experts in automation and machinery, there are various reasons why we can only recommend that manufacturers and operators apply the successor standards EN ISO 13849-1 and EN/IEC 62061 as early as possible”, says John McAuliffe, head of the International Services Group and general manager of Pilz Ireland.
According to McAuliffe, the extent to which EN 954-1 can represent the current state-of-the-art in machinery safety design remains debatable. What’s more, he noted, it’s possible that machine operators will specify application of the new standards in their requirement manual, to ensure that legally they are on the safe side as regards liability, should an accident occur.
For his part, Festo product manager Steve Sands insists: “We all need to fully commit to the production world’s ideal of zero machine-related accidents. Although machine builders will continue to benefit from EN 954-1’s presumption of conformity for a while, a much better way of complying with both the intention and the spirit of Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC is to adopt the new EN ISO 13849-1 safety standard now, and move forward together. This does not need to be as onerous as it has been portrayed to be - Festo, along with other leading automation component companies, is placing significant resources at the disposal of its customers.”
Many B and C standards listed under the current Machinery Directive already refer to EN ISO 13849-1 and EN/IEC 62061, said McAuliffe. These he said include, for example:
- EN 61496:Safety of machinery – Electro-sensitive protective equipment
- EN 60204-1: Safety of machinery – Electrical equipment of machines
- EN ISO 13850: Safety of machinery – Emergency stop – Principles for design
- EN 848: Safety of woodworking machines
- EN ISO 10218-1: Robots for industrial environments – Safety requirements – Part 1: Robot.
Other C standards will gradually be amended accordingly. Once amended, application of EN 954-1 would no longer enable presumption of conformity for these standards.
And, concluded McAuliffe: “It should also be noted that while EN 954-1 is recognised throughout the world, it is not an international standard. This is an important aspect, particularly for machine manufacturers who operate internationally.”
Meanwhile, ABB has produced a technical guide to functional safety outlining what the new EU Machinery Directive means for machine builders, explains the practical steps required for compliance and describes the applicable standards, background and theory.
A major development introduced with the Machinery Directive is that variable speed drives can now be used in safety systems. The document details how drives can help make machinery more cost-effective and user-friendly while maintaining a high level of safety.
The EU Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC applies to any new machinery launched after December 29, 2009. It requires machine builders to carry out a documented risk assessment on the essential health and safety requirements relating to their product. This is necessary to obtain the CE mark, a mandatory conformity mark on machinery and many other products placed on the single market.
Machine parts or incomplete machines must be supplied with a declaration of incorporation defining which requirements of the directive apply and have been complied with, notes the ABB guide. Machine builders, it adds, can carry out self-certification without a recognised test centre, provided that they have a quality assurance procedure according to the Directive.
