Glossary · Safe work, maintenance and competence
Decommissioning
In machine safety, decommissioning is the controlled removal of machinery from service, including the risks from residual energy, contamination, dismantling and disposal.
- Machine safety
- Technical documentation
In one sentence
Decommissioning takes machinery out of service under control, covering residual energy, contamination, dismantling and disposal risks.
Example
Before a hydraulic press is dismantled for scrap, the team discharges the accumulators, drains and disposes of the oil, blocks the ram and removes the springs of the counterbalance under a written plan.
How it applies
- Machine safety: ISO 12100 lists decommissioning, dismantling and disposal among the life cycle phases the risk assessment covers. Stored energy in springs, accumulators and capacitors is a typical hazard.
- Technical documentation: Instructions for use should say how to remove energy and hazardous substances before dismantling, and which parts need special disposal. This is often missing because it is written last.
- Integrated systems: Removing one machine from a line changes interfaces, stop circuits and safety zones for the rest. Treat it as a change to the whole system.
- Evidence: A decommissioning record documents that the equipment reached a zero-energy state and that contaminants were removed. In an asset or model repository, the item moves to a retired lifecycle state.
Decommissioning vs. shutdown
A shutdown stops a machine that will run again. Decommissioning ends its service life.