The UK Conservative Party win last week has finally drawn an end to the ongoing uncertainty created by the Brexit referendum and the dithering that followed the UK Parliament. Prime…
Read MoreEU Machinery Directive Public Review


If you ship machinery products to the EU the Machinery Directive affects you. You have a chance to contribute to the review of this document.
Read MoreInstructions for Use – the New ISO 20607


Instructions are one of the basic items that users expect to get when they purchase a product, and yet these important documents are often poorly written, badly translated, and incomplete. Key…
Read MoreBrexit is such a waste



This morning I read news of the tests that the May Government plans to use when assessing the Brexit deal they are trying to negotiate with the EU. The @CommonsEUexit report on…
Read MoreMachinery Safety Labels: 3 Top Tools for Effective Warnings


Machinery Safety Labels The third level of the Hierarchy of Controls is Information for Use. Safety Labels are a key part of the Information for Use provided by machine builders to…
Read MoreSafe Drive Control including Safe Torque Off (STO)


Ed. Note: This article was revised 25-Jul-17 to include information on safe standstill. Safe Drive Control including STO Motor drives are everywhere. From DC variable speed drives and indexing drives,…
Read MoreISO 13849 – 1 Analysis — Part 8: Fault Exclusion
Post updated 2019-07-24. Ed. Fault Consideration & Fault Exclusion ISO 13849 – 1, Chapter 7 [1, 7] discusses the need for fault consideration and fault exclusion. Fault consideration is the process of examining the…
Read MoreAn update on CE Marking Electrical Cable
CE Marking Wire and Cable In an earlier post, I wrote about the requirements for CE Marking wire and cable and discussed the <HAR> mark. In 2016, the Construction Products Regulation 305/2011…
Read MoreISO 13849 – 1 Analysis — Part 6: CCF — Common Cause Failures
Post updated 2019-07-24. Ed. What is a “Common Cause Failure”? There are two similar-sounding terms that people often get confused: Common Cause Failure (CCF) and Common Mode Failure. While these…
Read MoreISO 13849 – 1 Analysis — Part 5: Diagnostic Coverage (DC)


Post updated 2019-07-24. Ed. What is Diagnostic Coverage? Understanding Diagnostic Coverage (DC) as it is used in ISO 13849 – 1 [1] is critical to analysing the design of any safety function assessed…
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