Page 35 - MetalForming December 2011
P. 35

Changes Coming in the
New Industrial Robot Safety Standard
 BY JEFF FRYMAN
Significant developments are occurring in standardization efforts supporting industrial robot safety worldwide. In July 2011, the International Standardization Organization (ISO) published the new edition of ISO 10218-1:2011, covering safety requirements for industrial robots, and the all new ISO 10218-2, addressing industrial-robot systems and integration. Based on the safety tenants from the current ANSI/RIA R15.06-1999 and CAN/CSA Z434-2003 standards, these new international standards provide a comprehensive update in safety thought, requirements and new capabilities.
The Robotic Industries Association (RIA) and the Canadian Standards Association now are cooperating to publish a single harmonized standard for the United States and Canada. This work is ongoing through the respective technical committees for robot safety of each association. The new stan- dard—ANSI/RIA R15.06 in the United States and CAN/CSA Z434 in Cana- da—will be a “four-in-one” document that includes ISO 10218-1:2011, ISO 10218-2:2011, and the unique require- ments of both countries, all in a single document.
Jeff Fryman is director, standards devel- opment, Robotic Industries Association; www.robotics.org
The new robot-safety standard requires a risk assessment be performed when design- ing and integrating new robot systems, and assigns responsibilities for them. It includes considerably more detail on what is expected with a risk assessment and what consid- erations must be included. Photo courtesy ABB Robotics.
Notable Changes
The new standard will be signifi- cantly more comprehensive than the current editions, and will introduce some exciting new technical capabili- ties for robots and robot systems that did not exist or were not feasible when the current editions were written. The document has been rewritten and reor- ganized, but all of the basic safety requirements from R15.06 and Z434 that metalformers have worked with for years now are global requirements.
Also, currently compliant installations remain compliant with no need to make changes, until a manufacturer wishes to either take advantage of new features or modify or move an existing robotic cell.
So what has changed? If I had to pick just one notable change, it would be how risk assessment is handled. The new standard requires a risk assessment be performed when design- ing and integrating new robot systems, and assigns responsibilities for them. It
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