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
Read MoreChecking Emergency Stop Systems
This short article discusses ways to test emergency stop systems on machines.
Read MoreGuarding Emergency Stop Devices
Can emergency stop devices that a prone to unintended operation be guarded? Find out!
Read MoreEmergency Stop Categories
I’ve noticed a lot of people looking for information on Emergency Stop categories recently; this article is aimed at those readers who want to understand this topic in more depth. First, a clarification: Emergency stop categories DO NOT EXIST, but stop categories do. A stop category is a description of a control function – what the control does – and…
Read MoreBusting Emergency Stop Myths
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!
Read MoreUsing E‑Stops in Lockout Procedures
Emergency stop devices are sometimes, incorrectly, used as part of a lockout procedure for machinery. Learn more about how to correctly used these devices as part of Hazardous Energy Control Procedures for industrial machinery.
Read MoreReader Question: Multiple E‑Stops and Resets
I had an interesting question come in from a reader today that is relevant to many situations: “When you have multiple E‑Stop buttons I have often gotten into an argument that says you can have a reset beside each one. I was taught that you were required to have a single point of reset. Who is correct?” — Michael Barb,…
Read MoreUpdates to Popular Articles
We’ve recently updated a couple of our popular articles! Check them out! Busting Emergency Stop Myths Reader Question: Multiple E‑Stops and Resets
New contact block design for Emergency Stop devices from Siemens
One issue that frequently comes up when inspecting machinery is the contact blocks used on emergency stop devices. Until now, e‑stop devices were normally fitted with the same contact blocks used on other operator devices, and in cases where the e‑stop system is single channel, you could lose the contact block off the back of…
Read MoreEmergency stop devices: the risks of installer liability
On the MachineBuilding.net blog today, Alex D’Arcy, Sales Director at Hylec-APL provides some interesting insights into the liabilities associated with the installation of emergency stop devices on machinery. Hylec-APL provides technical products and solutions in the field of industrial machinery and emergency stop systems. Check out Alex’s article. If you need to know more about the…