Ever design a machine only to find out later that there wasn’t a risk assessment conducted? And, as a result, the design had to be modified due to safety requirements, adding additional cost, time and resources.
As end users, machine builders and Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs) are becoming more familiar and comfortable with the latest machine safety standards, risk assessments are now being requested frequently to be in compliance with the applicable machine safety standards in North America and Europe, such as Risk Assessment Standards ANSI B11.0-2010 for North America and/or ISO 12100-2012 for Europe.
Every risk assessment should be documented and on file. This will help to establish a history with a piece of equipment. Some may feel that this opens them up to litigation if they have acknowledged a dangerous situation or piece of equipment. More often than not this documentation can be used as a defense tool since not having documentation does not let you off the hook.
Hopefully this article will help you to understand more fully what is needed to conduct a risk assessment. If you have questions and would like to discuss your safety needs, please contact GCG.