Glossary · Hazards and harm
Impact hazard
In machine safety, an impact hazard is a mechanical hazard from being struck by a moving machine part, a workpiece or an ejected object.
- Machine safety
- Risk assessment
In one sentence
An impact hazard means a person can be struck by moving machine parts, vehicles, loads or ejected objects; its severity grows with mass and speed.
Example
An AGV moving through an assembly hall can strike a person crossing its path; a safety laser scanner slows the vehicle and stops it when someone enters its protective field.
How it applies
- Machine safety: Impact energy depends on mass and speed. Sources include swinging or traversing machine parts, robots, AGVs, suspended loads and ejected objects. Common measures are limiting speed and force, guarding travel paths and detecting people with protective devices.
- Integrated systems: Where an impact is followed by trapping against a fixed structure, the hazard becomes a crushing hazard. Assess both.
- Technical documentation: Mark travel paths and the line of fire, and state which areas people must not enter during automatic operation.
- Evidence: Record the assumed speeds, masses and stopping distances, so that changes in payload or speed trigger a review.
Impact hazard vs. ejection hazard
An impact hazard describes the harm of being struck. An ejection hazard describes one of its sources: an object expelled from the machine. Moving parts that stay attached to the machine cause impacts without any ejection.