Automation Canada - Machine Safety - 6

SAFEGUARDS AND SAFETY DEVICES
ON PLANT AND MACHINERY
Safeguards are necessary to protect people as much as possible from
hazards that may arise during machine operation - the primary objective
is the protection and safety of personnel in the face of mechanical
hazards from moving parts on machinery. Technical measures such as
guards must be installed, which avoid hazards by simple means, but
also meet anti-tampering requirements.
When it comes to safeguards on machinery, there are a wide range of
regulations, which take various forms, depending on the country.
In the European Union, for example, the manufacturer is obliged to
comply with directive 2006/42/EC, the Machinery Directive. There
are generally country-specific laws that operators need to consider and
observe.
It is not always possible for manufacturers to exclude all risks on a
machine without seriously impairing its function or operation. If hazards
cannot be designed out and residual risks remain, then the
manufacturer must provide safety devices. According to the Machinery
Directive, moving, potentially hazardous parts of the machine must be
designed and constructed in such a way as to prevent the risk of
accidents due to unintended points of contact. If the risk cannot be
minimised by design, then " the moving parts of machinery must be
fitted with guards or protective devices " (Annex 1, Machinery
Directive).
THE TWO BASIC PRINCIPLES OF SAFEGUARDS
A distinction is made between solutions using guards and protective
devices. Guards prevent people accessing or intervening in a
machine's danger zone. However, sometimes it is not possible, or even
sensible, to select fixed devices such as these, particularly when the risk
of tampering increases as a result. Annex 1 of the Machinery Directive
CANADIAN AUTOMATION
VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2
6
requires that the design of a safeguard must prevent it from being easy
to render non-operational. Otherwise the machine may not carry a CE
mark. In this case, protective devices are a potential approach. These
secure the danger zone without any physical separation. Control
solutions are oſten used here, such as safety light curtains in conjunction
with a safety controller, for example.
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Automation Canada - Machine Safety

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