Risk first
What can hurt someone, and how should risk be reduced?
ISO 12100 provides the overall machinery risk-assessment and risk-reduction process. It frames the problem before a guard type or layout is selected.
Explore ISO 12100Global standards, practical decisions
ISO machine guarding standards, translated into better guarding decisions.
A practical starting point for engineers, machine builders, integrators and safety teams deciding how risk assessment, physical guards, safety distances, interlocks and safeguard positioning fit together.
Choose by engineering question
Which ISO standard should you look at first?
Machine guarding is rarely a one-standard exercise. Start with the decision you need to make, then follow the related standards needed for the complete safeguarding system.
Physical guards
How should fixed and movable guards be designed?
ISO 14120 addresses the selection, design and construction of guards, including access, visibility, materials, rigidity, fixings and foreseeable use.
Explore ISO 14120Reach prevention
Can a person reach the hazard over, under or through the guard?
ISO 13857 supplies safety-distance values for protective structures. Guard height, openings and setback need to be considered as a system.
Explore ISO 13857Controlled access
How should a movable guard interact with machine operation?
ISO 14119 covers the design and selection of interlocking devices associated with guards, including measures intended to reduce foreseeable defeat.
Explore ISO 14119Positioning
How far from the hazard should a safeguard be positioned?
ISO 13855 addresses positioning and dimensioning of safeguards in relation to an approaching person and the machine’s stopping performance.
Explore ISO 13855Complete system
What about the safety-related control system?
Interlocks and sensing devices feed into safety-related controls. ISO 13849-1 and IEC 62061 are commonly relevant, with the required design determined from the risk assessment.
View ISO 13849-1 at ISOA practical project sequence
From hazard review to installed guarding
The standards make more sense when they are used in the order the engineering decisions occur.
01 — Assess
Define limits and identify hazards
Consider normal production, setup, cleaning, fault recovery, maintenance and reasonably foreseeable misuse.
02 — Select
Choose the safeguarding strategy
Decide where fixed guards, movable guards, interlocks or other protective devices best match access and operating needs.
03 — Position
Resolve access and separation
Check reach paths, openings, floor gaps, stopping performance, gate positions and material-transfer interfaces.
04 — Verify
Validate the installed system
Confirm the built layout, fixings, distances, access functions, control integration and information for use.
How the standards connect
A fence is a component. Safeguarding is a system.
ISO 12100 identifies the risk-reduction need. ISO 14120 helps shape the physical guard. ISO 13857 addresses reaching through or around that barrier. ISO 14119 addresses the devices associated with movable guards. ISO 13855 helps position safeguards in relation to approach and stopping behaviour. The machine, controls, installation and operating method still have to work together.
Questions engineers ask early
Fast answers before the layout starts
Is there one ISO standard for all machine guarding?
No. ISO 12100 provides the overall risk-reduction framework, while other standards address guard construction, safety distances, interlocking, safeguard positioning and safety-related control systems. A machine-specific Type-C standard can also add or modify requirements.
Does following ISO 14120 make a machine compliant?
Not by itself. ISO 14120 addresses guards, but conformity depends on the complete machine, risk assessment, relevant machine-specific standards, control system, installation and the law applying in the destination market.
Does ISO publish one standard guard height or mesh size?
Not as a universal catalogue choice. Guard height, opening size, floor clearance and distance to the hazard are interdependent and should be selected from the risk assessment and the applicable safety-distance guidance.
When is an interlocked gate typically considered?
Where access is required often enough that removing and replacing a fixed guard would be impractical, or where access is required during the working cycle, a movable guard with appropriate interlocking may form part of the solution.
Are ISO standards the same as local law?
No. ISO standards are technical standards. Their legal role depends on the jurisdiction, contracts, market-access framework and any standards adopted or referenced locally.
Practical information only. This guide does not replace a machine-specific risk assessment, the purchased standards, competent engineering advice or applicable legal requirements.
Request A Compliant Quote
Need a Standards-Informed Guarding Layout?
- Free, no obligation quote
- Send drawings or a basic layout
- Get a recommended configuration
- 24-48 hours turnaround on quotes