
- They are technical Standards conceived to meet the essential requirements of the Directives.
- They are written by the various technical committees on a mandate by the Commission of the European Union.
- They are approved and adopted:
- Then they are translated and published in the Official Journal of the European Committee (GUCE) and the Official Gazette of each Member State.
Status of the Standards
- prEN... a proposed standard (draft) which has not yet been definitely approved.
- EN...an approved standard already in force.
- TS...a technical specification.
The safety-related European standards are divided into 3 groups:
The European Standards concerning safety are subdivided into 3 groups:
TYPE A STANDARDS
They specify the general design principles applying to all types of machine e.g:
- EN ISO 12100 Safety of machines - basic concepts and general design principles - Risk assessment and risk reuction
TYPE B STANDARDS
They are divided into two classes:
- type B1 Standards: concerning a specific aspect of safety. e.g...
- EN ISO 13855 Positioning of safeguards with respect to approach speeds of parts of the human body
- EN ISO 13857-1 Safety distances for the protection of the upper limbs
- EN 60204 Safety of machinery. Electrical equipment of machine
- EN ISO 13849-1,2 Safety related parts of control systems
- type B2 Standards: concerning safety devices. e.g...
- EN 61496-1 Electro-sensitive protective equipment - general requirements and tests
- EN 61496-2 Electro-sensitive protective equipment-Particular requirements for equipment using active optoelectronics protective devices (i.e. light curtains)
- EN 61496-3 Electro-sensitive protective equipment-Particular requirements for Active optoelectronics devices responsive to diffuse reflection (i.e. laser scanner)
- EN ISO 13850 Emergency stop - Principles for design
TYPE C STANDARDS
They concern specific types of machine e.g:
- EN 692 Mechanical presses
- EN 693 Hydraulic presses
- EN 415 Packaging machines
- EN 415-4 Palletising and de-palletising systems
- EN ISO 10218 Industrial robots
A type C Standard takes priority over type A and B Standards.
If no C type Standards exist, compliance with the Directive can be attained on the basis of type A and type B Standards.