Machinery Safety 101 » Emergency Stop

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!

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.

Interlock Architectures – Pt. 2: Category 1

Doug Nix — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:30:20 +0000

This article expands on the first in the series "Interlock Architectures – Pt. 1: What do those categories really mean?". Learn about the basic circuit architectures that underlie all safety interlock systems under ISO 13849-1, and CSA Z432 and ANSI RIA R15.06.

Interlock Architectures – Pt. 1: What do those categories really mean?

Doug Nix — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 12:30:34 +0000

In 1995 CEN published an important standard for machine builders - EN 954-1, Safety of Machinery - Safety Related Parts of Control Systems - Part 1: General Principles for Design. This standard set the stage for defining control reliability in machinery safeguarding systems, introducing the Reliability categories that have become ubiquitous. So what do these categories mean, and how are they applied under the latest machinery standard, ISO 13849-1?

Emergency Stop – What’s so confusing about that?

Doug Nix — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 14:00:54 +0000

I get a lot of calls and emails asking about emergency stops. This is one of those deceptively simple concepts that has managed to get very complicated over time. Not every machine needs or can benefit from an emergency stop. In some cases, it may lead to an unreasonable expectation of safety from the user, which can lead to injury if they don't understand the hazards involved. Some product-specific standards