12
Contrinex Industrial Electronics
This section is intended to provide help for designers and users of in-
dustrial machinery. It summarizes the basic principles of North Ameri-
can regulations and standards in terms of protection against hazards in
the working environment. It is by no means a complete guide and only
serves as a reminder of the important issues. For detailed information,
please refer to appropriate agencies and documents.
A DIFFERENT APPROACH
Whereas European standards are mainly machine manufacturer ori-
ented, North American standards are primarily directed towards users.
Unlike in the EU, third party certification is not mandatory in the US or
Canada. In terms of liability, it is the employer’s responsibility to prove
that he has done his utmost to ensure his employees’ safety. However,
certification has become a strong commercial asset in terms of market
requirement. On users’ request, national compliance agencies assess
and grant the required certification.
Although the US and the EU have different methods for developing and
applying standards, their purpose is the same, namely to ensure an ap-
propriate level of safety in the workplace. Harmonized standards have
the advantage of promoting world trade and reducing duplication of ef-
fort. Harmonized international standards allow manufacturers to access
many markets with one product. Users profit from competitive products
that meet uniform quality and functional requirements – wherever they
were manufactured.
In the United States, standards are developed and enforced both by
governmental agencies and industry groups. US employers, install-
ers or OEMs are legally responsible for compliance with all applicable
regulations, both national and international. In the US, the Occupational
Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is a federal agency that can
enforce its regulations through penalties and fines.
OSHA REGULATIONS AND U.S. CONSENSUS
STANDARDS
The Occupational Safety and Health Act passed on Dec. 29, 1970 es-
tablished guidelines for safe and healthy working conditions.
Occupational and Health Standards in the U.S. are defined in Title 29 of
the Code of Federal Regulations Part 1910. Subpart O of this document
deals specifically with machinery and machine guarding, and defines
the general requirements for all machines (1910.212) and for some
specific types of machinery.
Encouraged and assisted by OSHA, more than half of the US states
have developed their own safety and health programs and regulations
which are then enforced by OSHA as “National Consensus Standards”.
Information on both state plans and OSHA regulations may be obtained
from their respective websites.
OSHA uses national consensus standards to further define machine
protection requirements in addition to subpart O. In 1910.212, it states
that “
The point of operation of machines whose operation exposes an
NORTH AMERICAN SAFETY
STANDARDS
FIG. 3 : APPLICATION EXAMPLES OF YBB
DEVICES
