Safety is an integrated engineering discipline.
The robot envelope, tooling, product, fixtures, conveyors and connected machines can each introduce hazards. The design must consider normal production, clearing faults, cleaning, teaching, maintenance and foreseeable misuse—not only automatic operation.
Applicable UK requirements and relevant standards are confirmed for the project scope. Safety distances, access control, stop performance and control reliability are based on the risk assessment and validated before handover.
Perimeter protection
Fixed fencing, panels, tunnels and designed openings that control reach into hazardous areas.
Controlled access
Interlocked gates, trapped-key arrangements or other access methods suited to the task.
Presence sensing
Light curtains or scanners where the assessed application and stopping performance support their use.
Safe recovery
Clear modes, reset positions, restart prevention and visibility for fault clearing and maintenance.
Robot-cell safety design inputs
Exact measures are determined by the risk assessment, equipment and intended use.
| People and tasks | Operators, setters, maintenance staff, cleaning, loading, teaching and fault recovery |
|---|---|
| Hazards | Robot movement, tooling, product ejection, crushing, process energy and connected machinery |
| Access | Gates, openings, conveyor transfer points, pallet flow, reach-over and reach-through |
| Stopping | Stop category, measured performance, safety distance and restart behaviour |
| Control functions | Emergency stop, interlock, guard locking, safe speed/position where required, reset and mode selection |
| Validation | Inspection, functional testing, stop-time checks where applicable and recorded verification |