Machinery Safety 101

IEC/TR 62061-1 Reviewed

Doug Nix — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 12:30:08 +0000

Why You Need to Spend More Cash on Yet Another Document Standards organizations publish documents in a fairly continuous stream, so for those of us tasked with staying current with a large number of standards (say, more than 10), the publication of another new standard or Technical Report isn’t news – it’s business as usual. [...]

Busting Emergency Stop Myths

Doug Nix — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:30:40 +0000

There are a number of myths that have grown up around emergency stops over the years. These myths can lead to injury or death, so it's time for a little Myth Busting here on the MS101 blog!

Guarding Emergency Stop Devices

Doug Nix — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:30:55 +0000

Can emergency stop devices that a prone to unintended operation be guarded? Find out!

The “Inconceivable” Consequences of Failure

Doug Nix — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 13:38:39 +0000

A colleague of mine pointed me to this interesting article by Donald Christiansen that was published in the August edition of IEEE USA's Today's Engineer magazine. As engineers designing equipment, we normally conduct some form of risk assessment. Although many companies are still using informal and undocumented methods, methodical, documented risk assessments are becoming the norm in industry.

Since understanding the risk related to our designs is fundamental

Interlock Architectures – Pt. 3: Category 2

Doug Nix — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:23:15 +0000

This article explores the requirements for safety related control systems meeting ISO 13849-1 Category 2 requirements. "Gotcha!" points in the definition are highlighted to help designers avoid this common pitfalls.

BSI Publishes New Guide to Machinery Safety

Doug Nix — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 12:25:01 +0000

BSI publishes a new guide on the application of 2006/42/EC and the PUWER regs. If you are UK based or export to the UK market you need this guide.

Hazard Identification – Engineered Nanoparticles

Doug Nix — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 15:42:47 +0000

Understanding the hazards presented by processes is critical to protecting workers. Nanoparticles are entering the workplace in new products and processes, but the hazards are not well understood. Read this article to learn more.

Five things most machine builders do incorrectly

Doug Nix — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 21:02:50 +0000

Five things that most machine builders fail to do. With a Sixth Bonus failure!

New Guide to Applying ISO 13849-1 and IEC 62061

Doug Nix — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 13:51:28 +0000

IEC and ISO have published a new guide to help users select between ISO 13849-1 and IEC 62061. This new Technical Report will replace Table 1 in both standards.

Safety is Good Business

Doug Nix — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:00:34 +0000

In this excellent article from Rockwell Automation's The Journal, Mike Miller and Wayne Solberg explain how EN ISO 13849-1 and EN IEC 62061 mesh for machine builders. Well worth the read in my opinion! The Journal: Safety is Good Business - Marshall & Solberg