BSI Education

Safety of Machinery

Engineering students need to understand the role of standards in relation to regulations and EU Directives and be familiar with the key documents.

The Safety of Machinery Series includes approximately 700 standards, 600 of which are machine specific standards. The following standards are applicable to all machines:

  • BS EN ISO 12100-1:2003 Safety of machinery; basic concepts, general principles for design - Part 1: Basic terminology, methodology.
  • BS EN ISO 12100-2:2003 Safety of machinery; basic concepts, general principles for design - Part 2: Technical principles
  • BS EN 1050:1997 Safety of machinery - Principles of risk assessment
  • BS EN 294:1992 Safety of machinery; safety distances to prevent danger zones being reached by the upper limbs.
  • BS EN 349:1993 Safety of machinery; minimum distances to avoid crushing of parts of the human body
  • BS EN 563:1994 Safety of machinery; Temperatures of touchable surfaces, ergonomic data to establish temperature limit values for hot surfaces
  • BS EN 953:1998 Safety of machinery; General requirements for the design and construction of fixed and moveable guards
  • BS EN 1037:1996 Safety of machinery; Prevention of unexpected start-up
  • BS EN 1088:1996 Safety of machinery; Interlocking devices associated with guards; general principles for design and selection
  • BS EN ISO 14122-1:2001 Safety of machinery - Permanent means of access to machines and industrial plants - Part 1: Choice of a fixed means of access between two levels
  • BS EN ISO 14122-2:2001 Safety of machinery - Permanent means of access to machines and industrial plants - Part 2: Working platforms and walkways
  • BS EN ISO 14122-3:2001 Safety of machinery - Permanent means of access to machines and industrial plants - Part 3: Stairways, stepladders and guard-rails

British Standards has recently published new guidance for higher education on the European Standards and regulations for students designing machinery.

PP 7722:2006 Designing safe machinery. Guidance for higher education to the standards and regulations
The book has 17 sections and can be delivered as a course, with notes for lecturers, activities and sample risk assessments. The CD has texts of the 12 core standards, over 360 PowerPoint slides, questions and answers, and assignments. If the course is delivered in its entirety, students will have a thorough understanding of all the hazards associated with machinery, and the principles of machinery risk assessment. They will gain practical experience of designing machine guards, selecting interlocking devices, designing access steps and ladders and of producing the documentation necessary to comply with the EC Machinery Directive.

For more information see the Publications pages.