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| Safety Integration Services |
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| Assessing the Machine or Process:
The Most Critical Step Toward Safety |
| Why should I have a formal
assessment? |
In our experience over 90% of machines
on the factory floor are not guarded in
accordance with relevant regulations
and standards. To safeguard a machine
correctly and ensure the existing
safeguards are adequate requires a
documented machine safeguarding
assessment.
A proper assessment helps ensure that
your machine remains productive after the
guarding is installed. |
| What is the assessment
process? |
The assessment process has two
parts: Risk Level Identification and Risk
Reduction.
Risk Level Identification - The process
of interacting with your operators and
maintenance personnel to understand the
intended use of the machine, the required
tasks and related hazards, and the level of
risk associated with the operation of the
equipment.
Risk Reduction - The application of
protective measures appropriate for the
identified level of risk in a manner that
both reduces the risk to a tolerable level
and achieves compliance with applicable
regulations and standards. The goal is
to have a machine that is both safe and
productive. |
| What is the advantage
of documented machine
safeguarding assessment and
risk reduction plan? |
A documented machine safeguarding
assessment provides a clear plan to
reduce risk and bring machines into
compliance. The report contains a high
level overview and machine-specific risk
reduction recommendations based on
the identified risk level of the equipment
as used in your facility. The report helps
communicate the current status of your
machine safeguarding program to all levels
of your organization.
A documented assessment helps create
priorities for safeguarding while taking
into account measures that are currently
working. This helps target funds where
the most benefit will be realized while
also planning for future upgrades. The
assessment document can also be used
to ensure machines remain in compliance
by comparing the existing guarding
system with the detailed guarding
recommendations and drawings. This
allows any deviations to be identified and
addressed.
The assessment/risk reduction report
can show government regulators, your
insurance company and corporate
headquarters what your plan is to achieve
compliance. |
| What information should be
derived from the assessment
report? |
| Assessment is a two part process and
you will want to make sure that the report
addresses both. The assessment company
should provide you with a written report that
contains usable information and includes
a specific and detailed strategy on how
to guard the machine correctly to achieve
maximum safety and productivity. At a
minimum, the report should contain thefollowing information and always consider
the risk level of a given machine: |
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Applicable safety standards or regulations
considered |
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Overview of the process used to
determine the risk level for each machine |
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Explanation of the risk reduction
requirements that apply |
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Detailed identification information for each
machine |
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Types and descriptions of hazards
associated with each machine |
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Factors and model used to determine the
risk level for the machine |
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Safety-related control system
performance requirements for compliance |
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Estimated risk level after guarding using
the assessor's detailed recommendations |
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Detailed, written, risk reduction
recommendations covering the type and
location of the safeguarding measures and
a description of how they will be applied
to reduce the risk to a tolerable level |
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A drawing showing the guarding concept
and approximate location of the guards
and safety devices on the machine |
| Are there different types of
assessments? |
| Absolutely! And it is important to
understand the type of assessment that
you will be getting. There are basically four
types of assessments: |
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Compliance Assessment with
Generalized Recommendations |
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Risk Reduction (Product Oriented
Solution) |
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Machine & Process Safeguarding
Assessment and Risk Reduction
Solution (Best Value and Most Usable) |
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Identifies compliance issues (typically
comprised of intensive documentation) |
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Sometimes includes risk level
identification |
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Provides no solution (risk reduction)
Performed by: |
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Safety 'consultants' (typically with
regulatory experience or some form of
'safety' certification, not necessarily
with a specialization in machine
safeguarding) |
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Software packages (assign levels of
risk/compliance based on static list of
questions) |
Cost: Relatively high
Value: Low (only identifies mostly obvious
deficiencies) |
| Compliance Assessment
with Generalized
Recommendations: |
| In addition to the information supplied by
a Compliance Assessment, this report
includes: |
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General solutions for risk reduction, but
not specific enough to be used as a
comprehensive guideline for budgeting
Performed by |
| Cost: Relatively high Value: Moderate (identifies mostly obvious
deficiencies with general solutions, but not
enough information to identify an accurate
cost of implementation) |
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The best way to safeguard
a machine correctly is by
conducting a documented
machine safeguarding
assessment.
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Identifies a possible solution (which
typically revolves around product
offering of the party conducting
assessment) |
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Provides no risk assessment
Performed by: |
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Safety component manufacturers/
representatives/distributors (typically
based on fitting products immediately
available to all applications - a
"square peg in a round hole.")
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| Cost: Relatively low ('disguised quote') -
sometimes free!
Value: Low (only identifies partial
solutions based on capabilities of 3rd
party) |
| Machine & Process
Safeguarding Assessment
and Risk Reduction
Solution: |
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Identifies existing risk level
based on application and use of
equipment |
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Determines performance
requirements of safeguarding
system based on level of identified
risk |
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Evaluates existing safeguards to
performance requirements identified |
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Provides solution to achieve
required performance level while
maintaining productivity |
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Prioritizes action list based on
combination of risk level and
compliant safeguards already in
place |
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Qualified safety experts specializing
in safeguarding industrial machinery |
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Experts on applicable regulations,
directives, and standards |
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True solution providers capable of
offering turn-key integration |
| Cost: Moderate
Value: High (provides required
document (risk level assessment) that
justifies performance requirements
and finds solutions based on achieving
high safety and productivity) |
| How do I qualify a vendor to
perform my assessments? |
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Have extensive experience conducting
machine safeguarding risk level
assessments in accordance with all
applicable standards |
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Be willing to provide you with a sample
assessment report |
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Provide a reference list of companies
and contacts where machine
safeguarding assessments were
conducted in the last 2 years
and equivalent in scope to your
requirements |
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Be able to provide proof of Professional
Liability or Errors & Omissions
insurance |
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Provide a written report of the
assessment findings to include identified
risk levels that validate the detailed risk
reduction strategies |
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Be an active member of various trade
organizations and participate on
various industry consensus standard
committees |
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Back to Top |
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6508
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OMRON
Scientific Technologies, Inc.
6550 Dumbarton Circle
Fremont, CA 94555 USA
Tel: 888-510-4357
Tel: 510-608-3400
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2008 North American Machine Safety Company of the Year
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