Every couple of months I get an email asking me if there is any reason why e-stop functions can’t be used as the primary power control (on/off button) for machinery. Following a recent exchange, I thought I would share the reasons for why this is such a bad idea. The short answer The short answer is an unequivocal NO. Don’t […]
If you are interested in functional safety, and I know many readers are based on the statistics I see for my other functional safety-related posts, I think you will be interested in this. I am collaborating with the IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society’s Virtual Chapter to provide a series of three 35 minute seminars discussing the fundamentals of functional safety. The […]
This article was updated 2019-04-26, adding specific details related to IEC 60947 – 5 – 5. When it comes to emergency stop devices there is no doubt that the red mushroom-head push button is the most common – they seem to be everywhere. The second most common emergency stop device is the pull-cord, and like the light-curtain in safeguarding […]