FEATURE MACHINE BUILDING, FRAMEWORKS & SAFETY
SAFETY GUIDELINES FOR MOBILE
ROBOTS Safety around
driverless industrial vehicles and their
systems is essential. Stewart Robinson,
advisory consultant and functional safety expert at TÜV SÜD, examines the requirements
for a variety of applications, are playing a growing role in automated operations. Their contribution to increased efficiency and productivity is, in fact, significant. The primary task of AGVs is to transport
A
materials, both within industrial buildings and across company premises, helping to automate and optimise logistics processes. They consist of the following elements: • One or more automated guided vehicles • A master control system • Equipment for location determination and position detection • Equipment for data transmission, infrastructure, and peripheral equipment. While Industry 4.0 sees reduced risk in several
areas, the range and flexibility of connected interfaces introduce a new set of risk issues, particularly as human interaction with AGVs increases. As production facilities become more complex, operators must manage a rapidly evolving system that incorporates multiple interdependencies, while minimising downtime.
SAFETY REQUIREMENTS ISO 3691-4:2023 - Industrial trucks – safety requirements and verification - Part 4: Driverless industrial trucks and their systems – covers autonomous vehicle safety guidelines. It outlines the safety requirements for driverless industrial vehicles and their systems, as well as how to check that they meet those requirements. First published in February 2020, and further updated in 2023, this standard is still relatively new to the machinery world.
16 DESIGN SOLUTIONS FEBRUARY 2025
utomatic guided vehicles (AGV), which provide continuous service around the clock and can be flexibly assigned
The standard applies to all stakeholders – machinery manufacturers, integrators and operators. This ensures there is co- responsibility to create a unified approach towards AGV safety and risk management. Three key aspects must be considered: • Operating environment (different zones where the truck operates and interacts with humans)
• Associated hazards and risks • Correct implementation of safety systems (protection). ISO 3691-4 is well aligned with ISO 13849. This other safety standard applies to parts of machinery control systems that are assigned to provide safety functions. It details safety requirements and guidance on the principles of design, and the integration of safety-related parts of control systems (hardware or software). This means it provides invaluable guidance for carrying out safety assessments for the complete AGV. ISO 3691-4 should not be seen as a standalone document to assume conformity with other AGV standards and the EU’s Machinery Regulation or the UK’s Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations. ISO 3691-4 is a Type-C standard because it
contains the safety requirements for a specific type of machine. Regarding machinery safety, ISO and EN standards are categorised in three types: 1. Type-A: Basic safety standards containing principles of design and general aspects that can be applied to all machinery.
2. Type-B: Group safety standards that cover a safety aspect or protective device relevant to a wide range of machinery.
3. Type-C: Contain the safety requirements for a specific machine or type of machine.
4. A Type-C standard has priority over Type-A and Type-B.
SAFETY STANDARDS The condition of the operating environment has a significant effect on the safe operation of a truck. So, Annex A of the standard, which
covers the requirements for the preparation of the operating zones, must be used to reduce risks when preparing the zones. Annex B lists all significant hazards, hazardous situations or hazardous events that must be considered during the life of the truck. Not only should this include hazards relevant to the machine when it is being used as intended, this should also cover conditions of misuse that are considered reasonably foreseeable by the manufacturer. The minimum Performance Level (PL) required according to ISO 13849, for the different safety functions, are based on the hazards listed in this annex. When designing the safety functions, it is vital that the complete system is taken into account so that the interrelationships between the multiple functions of the AGV are considered to optimise safety, for the protection of operators and other assets around them. For example, the AGV’s control system must manage both safety and non-safety functions, so it must be taken into account that some safety functions may not only impact safety, but also non-safety functions. Machinery safety standards define a set of
general physical hazards that are used during type certification. However, current standards, such as ISO 3691-4 have not been designed around the concept of machine connectivity and interoperability. It is therefore becoming increasingly impossible to apply existing risk assessment criteria to a dynamic I4.0 operating environment that is characterised by multiple interactions and data flows. When faced with the challenge of navigating a complex new risk landscape, effective safety is a challenge. Machinery manufacturers and end users
are facing a major shift in work methodology, which requires an innovative approach that matches the increasingly innovative technologies being deployed.
TÜV SÜD
www.tuvsud.com/uk
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