EN 13849 - Safety Related Parts of Control Systems.

EN13849 provides a methodology for deciding what level of integrity the safety related control systems on a machine should have and a methodology for calculating whether a control system meets the required level of integrity.
SafeMech has considerable experience in applying EN13849 to both design of new control systems and validation of existing ones. We can help you work your way through the intially rather intimidating calculations and requirements of this standard. 

EN 13849 replaces the previous standard for Safety Related Control Systems for machinery EN954. EN954 provided a simpler, more mechanistic approach to safety system integrity by specifying a particular architecture of control system to meet a certain level of integrity. As control systems become more based on electronics and less on simple relays and switches this approach becomes ever harder to apply.

EN13849 retains reference to the system architectures used in EN954 but applies a numerical reliability approach to try to achieve a more scientifically justified approach.

Most control systems which met the requirements of EN954 can be shown to also meet the requirements of EN13849, but in some cases, especially for systems which did not fully meet the requirements of EN954, improvements may be required.

It is important to remember that the control system is not the only part of producing safe equipment. The correct approach is to eliminate the hazard by design in the first place. Simple mechanical measures such as improved  guarding can often provide better protection than a sophisticated control system. In machine safety, the simplest approach is nearly always the best!

Frequently asked Questions

Q. Is EN13849 a new standard?
A. The first version of EN13849 was published in 2003 so it has been around for some time. The recent change has been withdrawal of the older standard EN954 at the end of 2011. This has finally focused more attention on the new standard.

Q. Is compliance with EN13849 mandatory?
A. Compliance with standards is not mandatory, only conformity with regulations is mandatory. However, compliance with standards provides a recognised way of showing that you ae in  conformity with regulations.

Q. Are there any software tools available to help?
A. There is a free package SISTEMA developed by BGIA. There are also proprietory packages, mainly developed by safety relay manufacturers.

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