New machinery risk assessment white paper from Leuze electronic

After outlining the background and the need for risk assessment and risk reduction when CE marking a machine to the Machinery Directive, the eight-page white paper introduces functional safety standards ISO 13849-1 and IEC 62061.

Next, the Hazard Rating Number (HRN) computational method is introduced, with tabulated values for severity of injury, number of people in danger, frequency of exposure to the hazard, and the probability that the hazard will occur. A further table shows which ranges of HRN correlate with risks that are negligible, low, high and unacceptable.

However, the white paper then introduces the Harmony method that takes additional factors into account. The Harmony method is used to calculate a degree of risk and the white paper presents a table with degree of risk ranges and the corresponding assessments (negligible, small, increased, high, extreme and catastrophic) and, where appropriate, ISO 13849-1 performance levels (PL b, PL c, PL d and PL e) and IEC 62061 / IEC 61508 safety integrity levels (SIL 1, SIL 2, SIL 3 and SIL4). A worked example illustrates how the Harmony method can be applied.

Contact Leuze electronic to request copies of the free machinery risk assessment white paper.