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Machine Safety Articles
Read our articles about machine safety requirements, legislation, norms and standards.

Safety symbols in the work environment
Safety symbols in the work environment Safety symbols need to be used to warn employees about residual risks. According to the EU Machine Standards this

PL & SIL: Information about machine standards
Machine standards PL & SIL Safety products often have to meet certain requirements. To test the safety level of these products, people use Safety Integrity

Optimize safety with CIP Safety or PROFIsafe.
The amGard Pro Network Safety Switches with Ethernet/IP & CIP Safety or PROFINET & PROFIsafe from Fortress Safety provide an advanced and integrated approach to machine safety.

ATEX 114 & ATEX 153
Safety in explosion-prone environments: An overview of the ATEX directives ATEX standards 114 and 153 are the most important parts of the broader ATEX-directives. These

ISO standards covering Machine Safety
ISO standards covering Machine Safety ISO standards can play an important role in ensuring machine safety in various sectors. One of the most important standards

Standard PLC or Safety control system?
Selecting the right safety switch and interlock for machinery and equipment is essential to ensure the safety of operators.

Lockout-Tagout standards
ISO 14118 “Safety of machinery” and the US standard ANSI/ASSE Z244. These two international standards define the application of “Zero Energy”.

The difference between proactive and reactive inhibit functions
Inhibit functions should be implemented anytime someone could be unnoticed or unobservable in a protected area.

Choose the right parts for machineguarding
To safeguard or not to safeguard? Or more precisely: use a physical or…

Entrapment: better to prevent than to cure
Every year in the Netherlands there are approximately 280 accidents involving machines, 73% of…

The right Safety Padlock for your Lockout Tagout application
The right Safety Padlock for your Lockout Tagout application Due to the wide range of available padlocks, choosing the right type of safety padlock is

Are two safety switches required for PLe / SIL3?
Are two safety switches required for PLe/SIL3? There is a lot of interest in the question whether it is mandatory to use 2 safety switches

ISO-document for Trapped Key Interlocking
ISO / TS 19837:2018 is the first international ISO document specifically dedicated to Trapped Key Interlocking …

Safety Key to prevent entrapment hazards
What is an emergency release? EN ISO 14119 defines an emergency release as “the possibility …

How to prevent unexpected machine starts with “full body access” in robot streets
How to prevent unexpected machine starts with “full body access” in robot streets The ISO standard for safety requirements for industrial robots (ISO 10218: 2011)

How to deal with escape routes and entrapment in safeguarded areas
Emergency release and Escape releas are functions that are provided in many …

How to work safely during maintenance
Emergency stops are placed around machines and equipment, but the use of an emergency stop …

Lockout-Tagout Procedures: keep it simple and safe
Gravity is often overlooked as a potentially dangerous form of energy …

Trapped Key Interlocks for isolating multiple energy sources
Trapped Key Interlocks for isolating multiple energy sources Isolating dangerous energy to safely operate a machine during maintenance or production operations can be complex and

How mechanical interlocks can comply with PLe
How mechanical interlocks can comply with PLe There are several advantages to using mechanical interlock systems over electromechanical safety switches. Benefits that are often mentioned

Light curtains: optical protection against dangerous situations
Light curtains, optical protection against dangerous situations Safety light curtains, also known as light curtains or optical protection, are the ideal solution for protecting operators

ISO/TR 22053 (2021) Safety of machinery
ISO/TR 22053 (2021) Safety of machinery – Safeguarding supportive systems ISO/TR 22053 Safety of machinery – Safeguarding supportive systems (SSS) was published in February 2021.

LOTOTO is an important part of your machine safety
LOTO Procedure Why LOTOTO is an important part of your machine safety Despite the fact that maintenance, cleaning and replacement work accounts for only a

Alternative risk reductions for LOTO
Alternative risk reductions for LOTO Ondanks dat Lockout Tagout Tryout (LOTOTO) geen wettelijke grondslag heeft in Europa is het wel de meest gebruikte manier om

Safe presence detection or machine guarding?
Safe presence detection or machine guarding? With the arrival of the Collaborative Robot (CoBots) and the introduction of safety devices with presence detection, the question

How do you control hazardous energy?
How do you control hazardous energy? Lockout-Tagout-Tryout (LOTOTO) is a method of controlling and monitoring hazardous energy for machine safety applications, which is used in