ISO 13857:2019
ISO 13857 Safety distances to prevent hazardous zones from being reached by limbs
ISO 13857:2019 describes the requirements for safety distances in both industrial and non-industrial machinery to prevent hazardous areas from being reached by limbs.
The safety distances discussed in this document are applicable when using physical barriers such as safety fences. The ISO standard 13857:2019 also provides information on the appropriate distance to prevent your legs from getting access to the dangerous area. The standard applies to people of 14 years of age (approximately 1400mm in length) and older. It also applies to the upper limbs of children that are 3 years and older (approximately 900mm in length).
Reaching over safety structures
Table 2 (in mm)
Safety distances to the hazard, whereby you have to take the height of the hazard and the height of the safety fencing into account.
Range with limited movement
Tabel 3 (in mm)
Examples of fundamental movements and corresponding safety distances when an arm can be reached through the fence.
Safeguarded constructions lower than 1400 mm should not be used without additional safety measures.
A = The range of movement of the arm.
Sr = The radial safety distance.
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ISO 13857 Safety distances to prevent hazardous zones from being reached by limbs
Reaching through openings
Tabel 4 (in mm)
Veiligheidsafstanden tot het gevaar waarbij de vorm van de opening en het type ledemaat in aanmerking worden genomen.
1) Als de opening van de gleuf ≤ 65 mm is, werkt de duim als een stop en kan de veiligheidsafstand worden teruggebracht tot 200 mm.
Obstruction of free access by lower limbs
Tabel 7 (in mm)
Safety distances to restrict legs and feet from reaching dangerous parts of the machine.
The values in the table are used regardless of the use of clothing and/or footwear.
Openings of e> 180 mm, square and round openings of e> 240 mm allow full-body access. This means additional safety measures must be taken.
Consideration of "Full body access"
Both guards with a slot opening of e> 180 mm and square or round openings of e> 240 mm are not allowed to operate without additional safety measures as they allow full-body access.
Safety structures lower than 1,400 mm may not be operated without additional protective measures.
Full body access must always be taken into account, there is always the possibility that someone tries to climb over or crawls underneath the structure.
We recommend Machine Guarding
For industrial environments with hazardous moving machinery, we recommend using machine guarding with modular safety fencing and mesh panels to create a clear physical separation between personnel and hazardous zones.
This type of guarding is especially suitable for production cells, robotic installations, and automated lines where visibility, flexibility, and compliance with required safety distances are important.
Supporting ISO 13857 Compliance
Modular safety fencing can be used as a practical safeguarding measure to help meet the requirements of ISO 13857, which defines safety distances to prevent upper and lower limbs from reaching hazardous zones.
By selecting the correct guard height, mesh opening, and separation distance, the guarding system can help ensure that hazardous machine areas remain out of reach during normal operation.
For new installations and retrofit projects, modular systems can be configured around existing machinery and adapted with fixed panels or controlled-access doors where entry is required.
Unique Safety Products can provide tailored machine guarding solutions using established systems from manufacturers such as Troax and NTF, selected according to the application and operating environment.
Machine Guarding solutions
Troax
Modular machine guarding for industrial machine safety applications
Troax provides modular fixed guarding systems for separating personnel from hazardous machine areas. The systems are suitable for machinery, robot cells, and automated production lines, offering a flexible solution for both new installations and retrofit projects.
NTF
Stainless steel machine guarding for hygienic environments
NTF provides stainless steel fixed guarding for applications where hygiene, cleanability, and corrosion resistance are essential. The systems are particularly suited to food, pharmaceutical, and other hygienic production environments with strict sanitation requirements.
Machine Guarding standards and guidelines
Fixed guarding must be designed and assessed according to the applicable machine-safety standards. ISO 13857 defines the safety distances required to prevent personnel from reaching hazardous zones.
Legal framework for machine safety
Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC
The Machinery Directive defines essential health and safety requirements for machinery placed on the EU market.
Where hazards from moving parts cannot be eliminated, suitable safeguarding measures must be used to prevent or reduce access to dangerous areas.
Guard design requirements
ISO 14120
ISO 14120 specifies general requirements for the design and construction of fixed and movable guards, including:
- Mechanical strength and stability
- Fixation and installation of guards
- Durability under industrial conditions
- Suitability for the intended environment
These requirements ensure the guard is structurally suitable and provides reliable protection.
Safety distances
ISO 13857
ISO 13857 defines the minimum safety distances needed to prevent upper and lower limbs from reaching hazardous areas. Key parameters include:
- The height of the fencing
- The mesh size of the mesh panels
- Distance between the guard and the hazard
Together, ISO 14120 and ISO 13857 help ensure that machine guarding is both structurally sound and positioned so hazardous areas remain physically out of reach.
Frequently asked questions about Machine Guarding
ISO 13857 is an international machine-safety standard that defines safety distances intended to prevent people from reaching hazardous zones with their upper or lower limbs. It is commonly used when designing machine guarding, safety fencing, and other physical protective measures around machinery.
A guard only provides effective protection when the hazard cannot still be reached around, over, under, or through it. ISO 13857 helps determine the minimum distance required between the protective structure and the hazard so that physical access is restricted.
The required safety distance depends on several factors, including guard height, opening size, hazard height, and the way a person could approach the hazardous area. These factors must be considered together when selecting or positioning machine guarding.
Guard height affects how easily a person may be able to reach over a protective structure. ISO 13857 provides guidance for determining suitable distances based on the height of the guard and the location of the hazard behind it. A higher guard may reduce reach-over access, but the complete guarding layout still needs to be assessed.
The size of an opening determines how far a hand, arm, finger, or other body part may be able to reach through the guard. Larger openings generally allow greater reach and therefore require more distance between the guarding and the hazardous area.
Yes. ISO 13857 includes safety distances intended to prevent hazardous areas from being reached by both the upper limbs and lower limbs. This means guarding should be assessed not only for reach-through and reach-over access, but also for access beneath or through lower openings.
Yes. ISO 13857 is commonly used when designing perimeter guarding around robot cells, automated production lines, conveyors, and other machinery. It helps determine whether the selected guarding height, opening size, and distance from hazardous movement provide adequate physical separation.
ISO 13857 focuses specifically on safety distances, while standards such as ISO 14120 address the design and construction of guards themselves. Used together, they help ensure machine guarding is both structurally suitable and positioned so that hazardous areas remain out of reach.
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