Last edit: 02/01/2024
Which are the most important ISO Standards related to Machinery Safety?
You may have asked yourself that question several times, especially if you are new to the field of Machinery Safety. One way to establish a ranking is to look into all the EN Harmonised Standards to the Machinery Directive: in 2023 there were about 700 Harmonised Standards (EN ISO or EN IEC).
Looking only to the EN ISO harmonised standards, hereafter is the top 20 list in terms of most mentioned standards:
N°1. 518 citations: EN ISO 12100: 2010 – General principles for design Risk assessment and risk reduction.
N°2. 204 citations: EN ISO 4413:2010 – Hydraulic fluid power – General rules and safety requirements for systems and their components
N° 3. 180 citations: EN ISO 4414:2010 – Pneumatic fluid power – General rules and safety requirements for systems and their components
N° 4. 169 citations: EN ISO 13850:2015 – Safety of machinery – Emergency stop function – Principles for design
N° 5. 162 citations: EN ISO 13857:2019 – Safety of machinery – Safety distances to prevent hazard zones being reached by upper and lower limbs
N° 6. 158 citations: EN ISO 14120:2015 – Safety of machinery – Guards – General requirements for the design and construction of fixed and movable guards
N° 7. 123 citations: EN ISO 13849-1:2023 – Safety of machinery – Safety-related parts of control systems – Part 1: General principles for design
N° 8. 118 citations: EN ISO 14119:2013 – Safety of machinery – Interlocking devices associated with guards – Principles for design and selection
N° 9. 114 citations: EN ISO 13854:2019 – Safety of machinery – Minimum gaps to avoid crushing of parts of the human body
N° 10. 101 citations: EN ISO 13855:2010 – Safety of machinery – Positioning of safeguards with respect to the approach speeds of parts of the human body
N° 11. 62 citations: EN ISO 14122-2:2016 – Safety of machinery – Permanent means of access to machinery – Part 2: Working platforms and walkways
N° 12. 61 citations: EN ISO 14122-3:2016 – Safety of machinery – Permanent means of access to machinery – Part 3: Stairs, stepladders and guard-rails
N° 13. 52 citations: EN ISO 14118:2018 – Safety of machinery – Prevention of unexpected start-up
N° 14. 44 citations: EN ISO 14122-4:2016 – Safety of machinery – Permanent means of access to machinery – Part 4: Fixed ladders
N° 15. 44 citations: EN ISO 14122-1:2016 – Safety of machinery – Permanent means of access to machinery – Part 1: Choice of fixed means and general requirements of access
N° 16. 36 citations: EN ISO 13856-2:2013 – Safety of machinery — Pressure-sensitive protective devices — Part 2: General principles for design and testing of pressure-sensitive edges and pressure-sensitive bars
N° 17. 32 citations: EN ISO 13849-2:2012 – Safety of machinery – Safety-related parts of control systems – Part 2: Validation
N° 18. 22 citations: EN ISO 14123-1:2015 – Safety of machinery — Reduction of risks to health resulting from hazardous substances emitted by machinery — Part 1: Principles and specifications for machinery manufacturers
N° 19. 21 citations: EN ISO 13856-1:2013 – Safety of machinery — Pressure-sensitive protective devices — Part 1: General principles for design and testing of pressure-sensitive mats and pressure-sensitive floors
From our point of view the list reflects well the role some standards play in assessing and especially reducing risk.
ISO 12100, by far, deserves the first place. ISO 4413 and ISO 4414 are instead “overstated” in importance. Thay should be much improved and provide more indications on how to design a safe pneumatic of hydraulic circuit.
In the future, we expect ISO 11161 and especially ISO 12895, due to be published in 2024, to enter the top 20!