Setting new standards

Safety standards form a fundamental part of daily work for machine manufacturers, system integrators and manufacturers of finished products for sale. Adherence to the standards largely depends on the application these parties develop or the machine they use. So how should you think strategically?

It wasn’t that long ago that we moved from the relatively simple categories in EN 954 to a more complex performance level (PL) model in (EN) ISO 13849 and safety integrity level (SIL) in IEC 62061. It was not popular with everyone, but the majority accepted it, in spite of the fact that some sort of change was necessary.

However, the change process is not yet finished. Work has now begun to merge together (EN) ISO 13849 and IEC 62061. A significant amount of time and money has been spent in getting us to where we are now and we absolutely shouldn’t start again from the beginning. We can also now take the opportunity to make improvements.

I think we’ve reached a ceiling in terms of complexity and that the new standard should not contain new methodologies or formulas. The joining of IEC 62061 and (EN) ISO 13849 is aimed at removing the difficulties faced currently with the two different standards. 

The merger process should be seen as an opportunity for clarification and simplification. It is also a chance to solve a number of known issues, such as the provision of reliability data.

From a machine manufacturer’s perspective, the transition to ISO/IEC 17305 should be less daunting if you have already migrated from EN 954-1 to (EN) ISO 13849. It also offers a number of significant opportunities. With a single joint standard, it won’t just mean that it is easier to manage – it will also be global, which means better chances to find new export markets, and that there won’t be such a need to have in-depth understanding of local laws and regulations.

Manufacturers of finished products will benefit from the simplicity that a single standard entails for all machines, cells, production lines and facilities, both nationally and globally. You will not need to satisfy the peculiarities of all the different local safety standards, as all assets will need to meet a single standard.

As the global leading supplier of safety solutions (according to Arc Advisory Group), Rockwell Automation is already in a strong position to help its customers take on the next big change.

This is an opportunity for the industry to introduce a new combined safety standard that really addresses some of the problems experienced with the two existing standards. We gained a lot with the introduction of (EN) ISO 31849 and IEC 62061, and there certainly were some compromises along the way. With the introduction of ISO/IEC 17305, it is now time to review these compromises and ensure we have the best of both worlds.

 

 

The new standard will make it easier for machine builders and end users to understand and adopt the standards for machinery.

The merge of the two standards will clarify many questions such as verification, validation and functional safety management.

Anyone who is selling, manufacturing or using a machine will be affected with this new standard and they all will gain from it!