Many global component and equipment suppliers provide a suggested safety development process or lifecycle to guide customers/users through a systematic approach of developing and implementing machine safety solutions. Below is a 6-step development process that follows the requirements of the applicable safety standard.

Machinery Safety Development: A Systematic Development Process

Step 1: Risk Assessment
  • Risk Assessment for all task and hazard pairs
  • Pressure and Force Analysis for fluid power risks
  • Identifying the system Performance Level required (PLr) for each hazard
Step 2: Functional Specification Development
  • Determination of job task types for each hazard
  • Determination of functionality needs
  • Determination of mitigation techniques
  • Determination of required safety functions
Step 3: Selection of Mitigation Devices
  • For electrical power, mechanical power, fluid power, and all sources of hazardous energy
Step 4: Safe Design
  • For electrical power, mechanical power, and fluid power design
  • Design verification calculations to ensure that the Performance Level achieved (PLa) exceeds or meets the Performance Level required (PLr)
Step 5: Installation & Validation
  • Installation process & procedures according to manufacturer
  • Validation that each safety function operates as intended
  • Validation should include fault injection and functional testing
Step 6: Periodic Testing and Maintenance of the Safety Components
  • Maintenance according to manufacturer requirements
  • Annual testing of each safety function

ANSI B11.0 takes the approach of defining responsibilities for component suppliers, machine suppliers, and end users and encourages collaboration throughout the lifecycle of the machine. This collaboration helps ensure that risk is properly assessed and reduced to an acceptable level. Collaboration lets the parties involved plan and implement the process to ensure that all residual risk is effectively communicated throughout the chain of design and implementation to the end-user so that they may deal with it properly.

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