How safety validation is changing in an IIoT, Industry 4.0, smart manufacturing world

Modern advances in controls and connectivity are increasing considerations for safety validations, according to an Oct. 20 CFE Media and Technology Virtual Training Week course.

By Mark T. Hoske October 15, 2021
Courtesy: Virtual Training Week from CFE Media and Technology and Applied Manufacturing Technology

Basic, standardized, best practices for safety validation and safety risk assessments remain, and the world of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing have added key points to consider, according to Terry Meister, controls manager at Applied Manufacturing Technologies Inc. (AMT) and chairman of the AMT Safety Committee.

Meister is teaching an Oct. 20 course entitled “Safety Validation in an IIoT, Industry 4.0, Smart Manufacturing World” as part of the CFE Media and Technology Virtual Training Week, Oct. 18-22. A professional development hour credit is available.

Included in the course will be elements of a safety risk assessment, steps involved in a safety validation process, the resources involved, and examples and the benefits of safety validation.

Safety validation with added risks of IIoT, smart manufacturing

“Safety first remains an-often spoken phrase, but with more motion control and other automation being applied, has the approach to safety validation changed … especially as Industrial Internet of Things, Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing creates demands on operational technology and information technology groups, hardware, software, budgets and resources? Safety validation, defined by ISO 13849-2, Part 2: Validation, explains procedures, conditions and processes to be followed. What are best practices for today’s fast-moving operations?” asked Meister in the course description.

Risk assessment evaluates risk by looking at potential injury severity, exposure to the hazard, ability to avoid the hazard, and risk levels, explains Terry Meister, controls manager at Applied Manufacturing Technologies Inc. (AMT) and chairman of the AMT Safety Committee. Courtesy: Virtual Training Week from CFE Media and Technology and Applied Manufacturing Technology

Risk assessment evaluates risk by looking at potential injury severity, exposure to the hazard, ability to avoid the hazard, and risk levels, explains Terry Meister, controls manager at Applied Manufacturing Technologies Inc. (AMT) and chairman of the AMT Safety Committee. Courtesy: Virtual Training Week from CFE Media and Technology and Applied Manufacturing Technology

Meister added that Industry 4.0 technologies mean machines may be online and cloud interfaced; remote connectivity adds considerations. Most systems have safeties ties to the machine controller and local programmable logic controller (PLC). As safeties are cloud accessible, specifications will need revisiting. Cybersecurity risks require network protection for connected systems, he said.

Details, advice and tips about safety validation are included in the 1-hour course.

Mark T. Hoske is content manager, Control Engineering, CFE Media and Technology, mhoske@cfemedia.com.

KEYWORDS: Safety validation, safety risk assessment, smart manufacturing

CONSIDER THIS

Are your safety risks assessments including the realities of smart manufacturing?

ONLINE

https://cfeedu.cfemedia.com/pages/virtual-training-week-fall-2021

https://www.controleng.com/discrete-manufacturing/machine-safety/


Author Bio: Mark Hoske has been Control Engineering editor/content manager since 1994 and in a leadership role since 1999, covering all major areas: control systems, networking and information systems, control equipment and energy, and system integration, everything that comprises or facilitates the control loop. He has been writing about technology since 1987, writing professionally since 1982, and has a Bachelor of Science in Journalism degree from UW-Madison.