New edition of the IFA report on functional safety of machine controls and applications of EN ISO 13849, "Safety of machinery – Safety-related parts of control systems"

Status:

completed 09/2016

Aims:

The publication of BGIA Report 2/2008 contributed considerably to acceptance of the revision of the EN 954-1 control systems standard in the form of EN ISO 13849-1 with the title "Safety of machinery – Safety-related parts of control systems". The numerous circuit examples from many areas of machine construction and the accompanying SISTEMA files particularly facilitated adoption of the new standard in the field. The amendment of EN ISO 13849-1, completed by the end of 2015, improved the standard in certain important areas. Owing to the close links between the content of BGIA Report 2/2008 and that of EN ISO 13849-1, revision of the standard also necessitated a revision of the report. The demand for a revised edition was noted in practical experience gained with the first edition of EN ISO 13849-1. In order to assure ongoing support for German companies applying the standard in the area of machine construction, publication of a revised edition of the report was necessary. The new edition was in particular to address the changes to the standard. The improvements to the standard were thereby to be transferred to industrial practice swiftly, in order for the high standard of functional safety of machine controls to be retained, and accidents on machinery to be avoided as before.

Activities/Methods:

The IFA and the authors of the respective chapters of BGIA Report 2/2008 have brought the report up to date. Experience gained in recent years in the area of machine safety was integrated, and supported where necessary with circuit examples.

Results:

The results of the project have been summarized in a new IFA report planned for publication at the beginning of 2017.

The first four chapters provide an introduction to the subject. At the beginning of each chapter, an overview is provided of the relevant changes with respect to the previous report, published in 2008. Besides updates of links, the content of many textual passages, images and examples has been updated. Overlapping hazards, the selection of the operating mode as a safety function, and the modelling of electromechanical components were included in the report as new topics. The comprehensive chapters five to seven describe in detail practical application of the standard in terms of safety functions, its contribution to risk reduction, and determining and validation of the performance level. General explanations are supplemented by practical information on application that goes beyond the text of the standard and that also interprets it. The report can be used to gain a comprehensive overview, and also as a reference for information on specific topics or applications. Users can gain information from it for themselves, and also to support their consulting and testing activity. In conjunction with the IFA SISTEMA software application, the report substantially promotes understanding of the EN ISO 13849-1 control standard, not least at international level and among users.

Last Update: