Electrical Safety of Machines

Electrical equipment and electrical parts of the control system of machines shall comply with the harmonized standard EN 60204-1 Safety of Machinery - Electrical equipment of machines - Part1: General requirements

This standard provides general requirements and recommendations relating to the electrical equipment of machines, to promote safety of persons and property, consistency of control response, ease of operation and maintenance. Among them, this standard emphasizes on requirements concerning the selection of switching devices, proper wiring, control circuits, protective devices, compliance tests or measurements, technical documentation and verification.

The Industrial Safety Department of Ergonomia consists of qualified, competent and experienced electrical engineers and is equipped with a wide range of specialized testing equipment, so as to provide high quality services both during the early stage of the initial installation of the machinery, as well as for already existing and operating machines to conduct a gap analysis regarding their electrical parts, according to the harmonized standard EN-60204-1 and the requirements of the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC.

Compulsory checks/measurements include:

• Verification that the existing equipment complies with its technical documentation and manufacturer's drawings and instructions
• Functional tests
• Earth continuity test and verification
• Fault loop impedance test and verification

Furthermore, a complete test include:

• Residual voltage test
• Insulation resistance test of cables
• Compliance verification as per EN-60204 requirements for equipment with leakages greater than 10mA to earth