UL has introduced Machine Risk Assessment services, designed to help factory owners, asset owners and employers mitigate risk within the industrial workplace and provide a safer work environment.
The Machine Risk Assessment services provide an unbiased assessment of the safety of industrial manufacturing machinery. The services are based on a range of applicable standards, including OSHA, American National Standards’ ANSI B11, ISO 12100 and National Fire Protection Association.
On-site risk assessments can be conducted across industries and a wide range of machine types, for a single machine or an entire factory. Industrial machines are evolving and becoming more automated, and according to UL, many factories have a mix of legacy equipment purchased decades ago that sit alongside more modern, fully automated robotic systems.
The older systems often fail to meet today’s minimal safety requirements, creating a substantial risk to users. These failures occur due to gaps in general maintenance, failure to install or replace guards, user shortcuts, and a myriad of other contributing factors.
Workplace injuries or deaths can have a devastating effect not only on the individual and their family, but also on the company and employer through lost production, fines for violations, and damages to reputation and brand.
“We have extended our safety expertise to the factory floor,” Tony Robertson, business development manager for UL’s Energy and Power Technologies division, said. “UL experts are in facilities today already assessing OEM products for safety conformance. This is a natural extension of our services to focus on assessing the safety of factory production machinery.”
Robertson said UL provides the asset owner and those responsible for safety management with an “unbiased, independent assessment of their industrial machines which can be integrated into safety programs and be acted upon to create a safer work environment.”
UL’s Machine Risk Assessment services add to UL’s portfolio of services and products designed to help create a safer work environment and an on-site safety culture. These include online and classroom training, advisory services, and safety and occupational health manager software.