FEATURE MACHINE BUILDING, FRAMEWORKS & SAFETY
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SAFE BY DESIGN: FIVE STEPS DOWN, ONE IMPORTANT QUESTION REMAINS
Having examined machine safety in depth over the last few months, in its final article in the series EUCHNER asks: What should you do next?
1. COMPETENCE CAN’T BE OPTIONAL There’s no polite way to say this: if your team doesn’t understand safety principles, then your machine design process is already compromised. This isn’t just about selecting the right interlock
or guard switch – it’s about understanding why and how they’re applied. Safety isn’t one-size- fits-all. Not all interlocks are created equal, and choosing the wrong one can turn a safe design into a hazard waiting to happen. EUCHNER offers machinery safety training
safety. We’ve covered everything from the foundations of safe design to risk assessments and performance levels. The goal? To equip machine builders and system integrators with a clearer understanding of what ‘compliance’ really means – and how to achieve it without turning it into an exercise in bureaucracy. But now that we’ve reached the sixth and final article in the series, there’s a bigger question to ask: What should you do next? We’ve teamed up with EUCHNER – one of the
O
leading voices in machinery safety – to help draw the series to a close and point the way forward. Because, while the regulations and standards are here to stay, how your business responds to them could define your reputation for years to come.
RECAP: THE ROAD SO FAR Let’s remind ourselves what the last five articles covered: 1. Start with safety: Why integrating safety into your machine’s concept phase saves time, money, and lives. 2. Navigate the legal landscape: What UKCA marking and the Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 (as amended) really mean for UK machine builders.
3. Control systems matter: A look at safety- related parts of control systems, including how EN ISO 13849 applies in real-world design. 4. The right kind of risk assessment: Not a generic template, but a structured assessment using BS EN 12100.
5. Avoid the pitfalls: From misapplied interlocks to missing documentation – mistakes we still see all too often. Now it’s time to turn that knowledge into action.
22 DESIGN SOLUTIONS JUNE 2025
ver the last few issues of Design Solutions, we’ve been diving into a subject that matters more than ever: machinery
courses tailored for exactly this reason. They understand that even experienced engineers need a firm grasp of the relevant safety standards – not just EN 12100 and EN 13849, but also the often-overlooked C-type standards specific to certain machine categories. Knowledge is power. In this case, it’s also compliance – and, potentially, someone’s life.
2. USE THE RIGHT STANDARD FOR RISK ASSESSMENT Many manufacturers still rely on in-house risk assessments focused on slips, trips, and fire extinguishers. These might be fine for the general workplace, but they miss the mark for machinery. The correct standard to use is BS EN 12100. It
walks you through hazard identification, risk estimation, and the necessary protective measures for each phase of the machine’s lifecycle. It’s not just legally recognised – it’s legally
relevant. Following BS EN 12100 links your process to the Machinery (Safety) Regulations and helps demonstrate that you’ve done what the law expects. That’s a major step in keeping your machine – and your business – on the right side of a post-incident investigation.
3. EVERY SAFETY FUNCTION HAS THREE ELEMENTS Here’s where things often go wrong: performance levels. We still hear designers talk about ‘the
performance level of the machine’. That’s not how it works. Performance levels apply to individual safety functions, each of which must be assessed for the level of risk reduction it’s intended to provide. Take a simple guard switch. It’s not just a mechanical input – it forms part of a safety function that also includes a logic element
(perhaps a safety relay or a PLC) and an output (often the power to contactors or actuators). These logic and output elements might be shared across multiple functions, but each function must still be considered individually. EN ISO 13849 helps define the required
performance level (PLr), and then guides you in designing the system to meet it. And yes – it’s detailed. Which is why, again, competence matters. EUCHNER’s team of safety specialists know this territory inside out and can help demystify the process, whether through formal training or direct consultancy.
4. GET YOUR DOCUMENTATION RIGHT (AND YES, IT MATTERS) You might build the safest machine in the world – but if you can’t show the paperwork, then legally speaking, it’s as if you didn’t. Your Technical File needs to include: • Risk assessments (done properly), • Safety circuit diagrams, • PL calculations, • SOPs and maintenance instructions, • A Declaration of Conformity or Incorporation, • A clear list of the standards you’ve applied. It’s also worth noting that your documentation should anticipate how the machine might be misused. That includes tampering with guards, bypassing interlocks, or even poor maintenance practices. If mitigation is possible (for example, coded interlocks with monitoring), it should be part of the design. And again – if in doubt, ask the experts. EUCHNER has seen more than their fair share of incomplete or misleading documentation, often discovered only after something’s gone wrong.
FINAL THOUGHT Machinery safety is never really ‘done’. It’s an ongoing responsibility – and one that affects not just your compliance status, but your integrity as a manufacturer. That’s why we recommend a simple next step:
audit your team’s competence, check your documentation, revisit your safety functions, and review your risk assessments against BS EN 12100. Don’t assume it’s all in hand just because it hasn’t gone wrong yet. If you’re not sure where to start, EUCHNER
is ready to help. Whether it’s a one-off training course or an ongoing compliance partnership, they’re one of the few organisations in the UK with the practical experience, legal awareness, and product knowledge to steer you through the whole process.
EUCHNER (UK) T: 0114 2560123
www.euchner.co.uk
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