Machinery risk assessment according to EN ISO 12100 in six steps
Risk assessment is not a formality at the end of a project. It is an input to the design process. This article follows the full sequence set out in EN ISO 12100.
Expert review: Editorial and review methodology
1. Determine the limits of the machinery
Record what the machine does, where it is installed, who can access it and its intended service life. Include spatial and time limits, intended use and reasonably foreseeable misuse.
2. Identify hazards
Review every life-cycle phase: transport, assembly, commissioning, normal operation, setting, cleaning, maintenance, fault finding and disposal. Identify mechanical, electrical, thermal, noise and ergonomic hazards for each phase.
3. Estimate and evaluate risk
Risk combines the severity of possible harm with its probability. Consider exposure, occurrence of the hazardous event and the possibility of avoiding or limiting harm. Use one consistent method throughout the assessment.
4. Reduce risk in the correct order
Apply the three-step method: inherently safe design first, then safeguards and complementary protective measures, and finally information for use. Instructions and warnings must not replace feasible design or safeguarding measures.
5. Verify that the measure has not created another risk
A guard that is removed because it obstructs the task has not reduced risk. Verify every measure against the real work process and record each iteration.
6. Document the assessment
The file must show the process and the reasons for decisions: machinery limits, hazards, risk estimates before and after measures, verification and references to the applied type-B and type-C standards.