BS EN ISO 13854:2019 replaces BS EN 349:1993+A1:2008

BS EN ISO 13854:2019 is a British Standard that is equivalent to the International (and European) standard. It is important for machine builders, machine users and employers, service providers (eg for maintenance) and consumers where the machine in question is for use by consumers. The standard is also intended for use by health and safety bodies (eg regulators, accident prevention organisations, market surveillance bodies, trade unions and organisations representing people with special needs).

Whereas BS EN ISO 13857:2008 concerns safety distances to prevent hazard zones being reached by upper and lower limbs, the new BS EN ISO 13854:2019 helps to avoid hazards from crushing zones by specifying minimum gaps relative to parts of the human body. In specifying minimum gaps, the following points are taken into consideration:

• Accessibility of the crushing zones
• Anthropometric data
• Technical and practical aspects

BS EN ISO 13854:2019 helps in identify crushing hazards and assessing the risks posed by these hazards. BSI points out that BS EN ISO 13854:2019 applies to risks from crushing hazards only and does not apply to other similar hazards such as impact, shearing and drawing-in. For these hazards, other measures may need to be taken.

Although BS EN ISO 13854:2019 is not harmonised to the Machinery Directive (yet), Annex ZA contains a table showing which clauses of the standard relate to relevant Essential Requirements of the Directive.

BS EN ISO 13854:2019 (ISBN 978 0 580 86784 2) is available from BSI as a PDF or hard copy priced at 126.00 (or 63 for Members of BSI).