What is ISO 13849 and what does it cover?
ISO 13849 is a machinery safety standard and provides safety requirements and guidance of the principles for the design and integration of safety-related parts into control systems, including software. The standard deals with control systems irrespective of the implementation techniques / technology: electronic, pneumatic, hydraulic, mechanical.
The standard utilises the Protection Level Rating (PLr) concept from PLa to PLe where PLe has the highest safety impact in the event of no protection being in place and PLa being the lowest impact.
As machinery can be used with often access to hazardous zones and potential harm to people the standard provides specific guidance on the handling of these ‘High Demand / Continuous Demand’ safety systems.
The application of ISO 13849 supports the technical file within the EU with regards to the successful application of the CE mark to the equipment, which it protects, and the Provision of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) 1998 assessments within the United Kingdom.