Jon Severn, Editor of MachineBuilding.net, offers some useful pointers for risk assessments on machinery.
Risk assessments are key to the safety of machinery, paving the way for risk reduction measures that are both effective and economical. Here in the UK, the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSWA) states that it shall be the duty of every employer to ensure "so far as is reasonable practicable" (SFAIRP) the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees - which implies that the cost of safeguarding should be commensurate with the risks. This is not the same elsewhere, and this important phrase in British health and safety law was recently challenged by the European Commission, which claimed that the use of the phrase did not implement the Framework Directive 89/391/EEC. However, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) dismissed the European Commission's case and ordered it to pay the UK Government's costs. There is a press release about this case on the HSE's website and an article here that explains What does 'as low as reasonably practicable' mean?.
MachineBuilding.net has details of a number of companies that offer software-based utilities for performing risk assessments, as well as companies that can carry out risk assessments on a contract basis. These tend to be based on the requirements of EN ISO 14121-1, Safety of machinery. Risk assessment. Principles, which replaced and superseded EN 1050:1996 Safety of machinery - Principles for risk assessment in 2007 - see this article that explains The differences between EN 1050 and EN ISO 14121-1.
For example, Procter Machine Guarding has a useful free Risk Assessment Calculator, which is based on a spreadsheet and uses checklists and look-up tables to enable risk assessments to be carried out on almost any static machinery. For each identified hazard, the user enters the data and selects values for the 'Likelihood of Occurrence,' 'Frequency of Exposure,' 'Degree of Possible Harm' and the 'Number of Persons at Risk.' A Hazard Rating Number (HRN) and Risk Level are calculated automatically, so the user can see where further action may be necessary.
Laidler Associates offers a more comprehensive mCom Machinery Safety Software package that covers both CE marking and PUWER assessments. This is aimed at managing risks throughout the working environment, not just machinery.
Another useful software package is available from IBF Automatisierungs und Sicherheitstechnik, known as IBF Safexpert. This software is currently (23 July 2010) at version 7, but you can read a review of IBF Safexpert 5.4. IBF Safexpert was developed for CE marking and incorporates an EN ISO 14121-1 risk assessment procedure.
If you just want written guidance, there is a chapter in the Sick Six Steps to a Safe Machine that deals with risk assessment. For more information, see Sick's free guide to machinery safety - a review. Similarly, the updated Practical Guide to Machinery Safety, published by Laidler Associates, contains a section devoted to risk assessment and hazard analysis, and there is a chapter on risk assessment in the Schneider Electric 'Safe Machinery Handbook'.
Another useful resource is the book recently published by BSI, Risk management of machinery and work equipment. As well as considering issues relating directly to the design, manufacture and use of machinery, this guide also covers corporate risk management.
Consultancy and training
For companies that would prefer to use consultants, the following companies offer this service: Conformance, Health & Safety Compliance Engineering, ISS Safety Ltd, Laidler Associates, Pilz Automation Technology, PR Safety Ltd, Smartscan, TRL Compliance Ltd and TUV Rheinland Group.
Training is also available from many of the above organisations, plus the HSL (Health and Safety Laboratory), which is an agency of the UK's HSE (Health and Safety Executive), runs risk assessment training courses.
New risk assessment standard
Currently EN 1050 is harmonised to the Machinery Directive, which means that complying with it is not a legal requirement but will normally be sufficient to meet the Essential Health and Safety Requirements of the Directive. However, the Machinery Directive only applies in Europe, and the standard itself is European, not international, so machine builders exporting to other countries should check whether they need to comply with another risk assessment standard.
In September 2007 ISO announced that it had published ISO 14121-1:2007, Safety of machinery - Risk assessment - Part 1: Principles. Furthermore, the CEN website states that EN ISO 14121-1:2007 was ratified on 4 August 2007, and the BSI website (www.bsi-global.com) states that BS EN 1050:1997 is withdrawn and superseded by BS EN ISO 14121-1:2007. As mentioned above, there is an article on MachineBuilding.net that explains The differences between EN 1050 and EN ISO 14121-1. Note that ISO 14121-1 is an international standard, and the equivalent Euronorm, EN ISO 14121-1, is harmonised to the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC.
ISO/TR 14121-2:2007 Safety of machinery - Risk assessment - Part 2: Practical guidance and examples of methods was published on 3 December 2007. This gives practical guidance on conducting risk assessments for machinery in accordance with ISO 14121-1. It describes various methods and tools for each step in the process, plus it provides practical guidance on risk reduction for machinery, with additional guidance on the selection of appropriate protective measures for achieving safety. You can read the review of ISO/TR 14121-2 but be sure to also read the Criticism of ISO Technical Report ISO/TR 14121-2.
Additional news and information will be added to this online guide to machinery risk assessment as it becomes available.
Jon Severn, Editor, MachineBuilding.net
