Safety-related parameters are control system variables whose incorrect setting immediately increases the risk to the user. Some of the most common include safe-reduced speed and safe standstill, but temperature, pressure and other process parameters can also be safety-related. Defining what machine parameters are safety-related and then designing control hardware and software to meet the functional…
Read MoreUnderstanding safety functions: Local control
The local control function is important to understand when designing machinery control systems. If the failure of the local control function could lead to increased risk to the user, it is a safety function. This article explains the local control function from a functional safety perspective.
Read MoreThe Industrial S-Word
The Industrial S-Word is a new podcast covering industrial equipment safety hosted by Matt Ernst. Matt has many years of experience in the industrial automation sector, from his early days in 2006 with WIKA Instruments Canada Ltd., to his current work with Schmersal Canada. Last week I had the great pleasure of being interviewed by…
Read MoreThe Westray Mine Disaster
Today is the 30th anniversary of the Westray Mine disaster in 1992. At 5:18 am on Saturday, May 9, 1992, a great, blue flame flashed out of the mine opening, a cloud of black smoke on its tail [1]. Twenty-six miners lost their lives when a methane and coal dust explosion destroyed the mine. Eleven…
Read MoreCanada’s National Day of Mourning
Fight for the Living, Mourn for the Dead On April 28th, Canada’s National Day of Mourning, we mourn for our workplace dead. According to the WSIB, in 2020, 245 people died from a work-related injury or illness in Ontario [1]. Workplace deaths have broad and deep effects on workers’ families, employers, and society. Workplace fatalities…
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