Glossary · Machine safety fundamentals
Machine safety
Also known as: machinery safety
German: Maschinensicherheit
In machine safety, machine safety is the discipline of protecting people, assets and the environment from hazards created by machinery across its whole lifecycle, from design and commissioning to operation, maintenance and decommissioning.
- Machine safety
- Risk assessment
In one sentence
Machine safety covers how hazards from machinery are identified, assessed and reduced over the lifecycle, and how that work is documented and kept current.
Example
For a new robot cell, the integrator runs a risk assessment, installs a perimeter guard with interlocked doors, verifies the safety functions and writes the safety chapter of the operating manual.
How it applies
- Machine safety: The core method is iterative: define the machine limits, identify hazards, estimate and evaluate risk, then reduce it following the three-step method. Control-system aspects are handled by functional safety standards such as ISO 13849-1 and IEC 62061.
- Lifecycle: Hazards change with modifications, wear, new operating modes and integration into larger lines. Machine safety is therefore not finished at handover; changes need renewed assessment.
- Technical documentation: Every design decision should be traceable to a hazard and a risk decision. The risk assessment, verification records and information for use together show how safety was addressed.
- Evidence: Following standards supports, but does not by itself prove, that legal requirements are met. The applicable requirements, the actual machine and the evidence decide.
Machine safety vs. occupational safety
Machine safety focuses on the machine as designed and built, mainly the manufacturer's and integrator's responsibility. Occupational safety focuses on the workplace and the employer's duties, such as training, procedures and PPE. Both meet at the interface of the operating manual.