Discover how SICK’s Machine Safety Prioritization Analysis service to prioritize and tackle safety upgrades
Don’t just hire a service; hire a service partner. SICK, Inc. supports our customers with a comprehensive portfolio of service offerings, working as your service partner throughout the lifetime of your product or system, like helping you prioritize safeguarding machinery.
SICK has now added a new service called Machine Safety Prioritization Analysis. It provides a quantitative assessment of the current status of machine safeguarding on your equipment. The information gathered provides a powerful tool to prioritize and tackle safety upgrades, focusing the efforts on areas that meet your organizational needs first.
Below are some common questions about this safeguarding machinery service that we’ve answered for you!
What is the difference between a standard Machine Guarding Risk Assessment and the Machine Safety Prioritization Analysis Service?
During a standard Machine Guarding Risk Assessment, a SICK certified Safety Applications Specialist analyzes and evaluates the task/hazard pairs to ANSI B11.0, ISO 12100, and/or a corporate risk assessment process for a machine work cell or production line. Each task/hazard pair is assigned an initial risk rating. A comprehensive risk assessment report will be provided with proposed solutions to achieve the acceptable risk reduction. A reduced risk rating is provided with proposed solutions reduce risk as low as reasonably practicable. A subsequent risk rating is provided based on the proper implementation of the proposed risk reduction measures. Once the risk reduction recommendations have been accepted by the customer, it is possible to proceed to the functional safety design of the controls in the Safety Concept service.
In contrast, the Machine Safety Prioritization Analysis service is designed to quantify the safety of a large number of machines within a facility. This evaluation provides a scoring matrix that helps to determine where to invest resources (such as time and money) by identifying which machines within a facility should be addressed first.
Please note: This service provides a quantitative score evaluating the current state of safeguarding, but is not a substitute for a Risk Assessment.
What are the primary benefits of conducting a Prioritization Analysis?
The Machine Safety Prioritization Analysis allows the customer to evaluate a large number of machines quickly and cost effectively. This provides a better understanding of where to focus money and time. Here are few key benefits:
- Allows for an entire plant to be evaluated in a short period of time
- Provides guidance to the customer regarding which machines to focus on first with a formal risk assessment
- Approximates upper end of risk using the same risk estimation method that is utilized in the risk assessment service from SICK
- Provides the customer with a complete asset list of the machines in their facility
Who would be the optimal customers for this services?
Large corporate customers looking for a safety partner to assist them with the analysis of safeguarding machinery needs. The following additional corporate criteria are ideal candidates for this service:
- Multiple locations around country/globe.
- Corporations that have recently acquired another company and need to evaluate the equipment in the facilities to determine what safety issues need to be addressed to bring equipment into compliance.
- Customers with a large asset list and the desire to quantify the scope as well as prioritize the planning and budgetary process.
- Companies with the desire to have a third party turn-key safety solution partner.
What aspects of the machine safety requirements are evaluated during the Prioritization Analysis?
The Machine Safety Prioritization Analysis service will include the analysis of existing safeguarding measures according to the following criteria for each machine identified in the scope of work:
- Approximate Risk In
- Point of Operation / Perimeter Safeguarding
- Mechanical Power Transmission
- Emergency Stops, where required
- Safety-Related Devices
- Safety Control Systems
- Energy-Isolating Devices
- Electrical Drop-Out Protection
What type of cost could we expect to complete this evaluation at our facility and how quickly could you arrive on site and complete this work?
Although the pricing and time required will vary based upon the quantity and types of machine in the scope of work, you can expect the Machine Safety Prioritization Analysis to be completed in a fraction of the time that we would require to complete a full/formal Machine Guarding Risk Assessment per machine.
As a guideline, the following expectations can apply:
- On-Site: 2-5 machines per hour, dependent on machine type
- Off-site: 1-2 hours required to compile and generate the report
- 4 hour onsite minimum
Interested in learning more about SICK's Machine Safety Prioritization services? Contact a SICK representative today!
