54 n MACHINE BUILDING April 2023 www.drivesncontrols.com Identifying and assessing fire risks in machinery The ISO 19353:2019 standard – Safety of Machinery - Fire Prevention and Fire Protection – defines fire as “independent combustion, which can occur as controlled combustion or as uncontrolled combustion.”The standard is relevant to machinery manufacturers, and to health and safety bodies. However, it is vital that machinery purchasers and end-users understand their supplier’s responsibilities when it comes to designing and producing machinery with fire prevention and protection. As a designated standard (B-Type), ISO 19353 satisfies the essential safety requirements (ESRs) where the relevant hazards have been identified during the design risk assessment. Compliance with it therefore gives a “presumption of conformity” with the Machinery Directive in the EU, and The Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations for the UK. Products demonstrate their compliance by having a CE marking (EU) or UKCA mark (GB) and the drawing up of a Declaration of Conformity. ISO 19353:2019 is the third edition and replaces the earlier ISO 19353: 2015. Updates from the previous edition include: n old Annexes A and B have become Annexes D and A; n a new Annex B covers an example of a methodology for selecting and qualifying a fire detection and fire suppression system; n the language in old Annex D has been improved and is now Annex E; and n the old Annex E (fire risk reduction measures) has been deleted. As a type B1 standard, ISO 19353 relates to specific safety aspects of machines, describes general safety aspects and provides relevant solutions, such as the design of appropriate controls. Type B1 and B2 standards are interlinked laterally, but type B2 standards relate to specific products, such as EN 13850 (Emergency stop function – Principles for design). They include notes on the design and testing of safety components, which both the product manufacturer and machine designer must take into account. ISO 19353 specifies methods for identifying fire hazards posed by machinery and methods for performing risk assessments. It includes fire protection measures for the design and manufacture of machinery. It also gives the basic concepts and methodologies of protective measures for fire prevention and protection to be taken during the design and construction of machinery. The measures consider the intended use, as well as the reasonably foreseeable misuse of machines. The third area that must be considered is the means of firefighting, which includes fire detection. This includes technical, structural, organisational and fire suppression measures, and can be implemented through a single measure or a combination of measures. The protective measures dealt with in ISO 19353 include: n inherently safe design measures, such as minimising the use of flammable materials and liquids; n safeguarding / technical protection measures, such as spatial containment (encapsulation); n complementary protective measures such as integrated fire alarm and extinguishing systems, including fire alarm and pre-fire alarm systems, and manually and automatically released fire suppression equipment and systems; and n user information. The standard does not apply to: n mobile machinery; n machinery designed to contain controlled combustion processes, unless these processes can constitute the ignition source of a fire in other parts of the machinery or outside of this; n machinery used in potentially explosive atmospheres and explosion prevention and protection; n fire detection and suppression systems that are part of building fire safety systems; and n machinery or components manufactured before the standard was published. It is vital that machinery end-users have an appreciation of ISO 19353 because it describes the methods for identifying machinery fire hazards and how to conduct risk assessments. It also describes the basic concepts and methodology of technical measures for fire prevention, protection and fire-fighting that should be taken when designing and building machinery. With knowledge of its application, users can be assured that their machines have reached the required level of fire safety according to its intended use, as well as any reasonably foreseeable misuse. n An updated machinery safety standard describes the methods for identifying fire hazards in machinery, and how to conduct risk assessments. Darren Hugheston-Roberts, head of machinery safety at TÜV SÜD, outlines the standard’s coverage and implications for end-users.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjQ0NzM=