Fundamentals of Machinery Safety

1. What are the typical attributes of machinery with regard to the safety?
2. Briefly describe the following terms:
(a) Machinery,
(b) Machinery System and;
(c) Machinery Safety System.
3. Classify the machinery control systems and briefly narrate their function with reference to the
operations and safety.
4. Identify the difference between these two figures with regard to the control system and briefly
describe their functions.

5. Classify and List the common machine hazards and the safeguards
against these hazards?
6. What are the sources of Information for Machinery Safety Standards? How they are applied to a
sample machine?

7. What international engineering standard provides the terminologies and technical

principles for safety of all machinery? EN. ISO or AS numbers will be acceptable.
8. What is the first activity required in a machinery design project to establish the safety of
the machine?

9. What are the three phases of safety life-cycle management? Briefly describe them.
10.
When is a CE mark required to be shown on a machine? What
does the CE mark signify when placed on a machine of on a safety
device?
11.
If you are an EHS Professional, how do you ensure a machine is
properly safeguarded? What steps will you adopt to establish Risk
assessment and Risk Reduction?
12. What is the standard adopted for Reduction of risk by design? Briefly explain its
functionality?
13.
What is the purpose of a two hand control station and safety
function? Name two essential features that must be provided in the
design.
14.
What are the fundamental principles of IEC 62061? How is IEC
62061 basically applied (main thread)?
15.
ISO 13849 specifies Performance levels (PLs) for safety related
controls. What is the relationship between PLs and risk reduction?
16.
What is the name given to the degree of confidence for providing
safety that may be placed in a safety related control system?
17.
What are some of the design factors that are to be taken into
account when evaluating a safety control design to see what PL it can
achieve? Name at least 3.
18. 1. What is the difference between the safety plc and conventional plc?
2. What are the similarities?
3. Can conventional plc use as a safety plc?
19.
Name the three fundamental sub systems that will normally be
identified in a safety related electrical control system.
20.
What is the name given to an arrangement in which a light
curtain barrier permits an object to pass freely through it without
stopping the machine?
21.
What is the meaning of minimum object sensitivity in a light
curtain system?
What is the resolution value required by standards to qualify for
preventing a human hand being undetected when passing through the
curtain?
22. What is the difference between?
a) an interlocking guard
b) a guard locking system
c) a control guard?

23. If the height of AOPD is 500mm and the stopping time is 160 ms, the minimum distance
in case of horizontal approach will be? Select the correct answer
a) 1500mm
b) 1256mm
c) 1400mm
d) None of the above

24. Can a Safety Mat, used in a safety application, be used to initiate machine motion by
detecting the presence of an operator? Select the correct answer
a) Yes
b) No
25. Risk assessment on an underground conveyor in a coal mine
Subject
Objectiv
e
Relevan
ce

Risk assessment exercise on a typical long distance conveyer for

transporting newly mined coal away from the coal face
To gain basic experience with the risk assessment and risk
reduction procedures as described in chapter 3 of the course
manual and as required by EN ISO 14121 and AS 4024.1301
All machinery safety projects should be subjected to this type of
procedure. Provides a simple practice routine. This example is
typical and it makes use of:
A. Hazards checklist from both of the above standards.
B. The risk scoring system advocated by PILZ and by Proctor
machine Guarding.
C. An Excel spreadsheet format based on the software tool
issued by Proctor and demonstrated during the training
course.

Starting Information:
Suppose you are the designer for an underground conveyor installation
that is to transport raw coal in lumped and crushed forms and all debris
from a coal cutting area over a distance of more than 1000 metres to a
large receiving bin. The conveyor is to be installed in a tunnel that has an
adjacent walkway for persons to access the coal face. The tunnel section
has a 1 in 10 gradient from the input up to the receiving bin. The
conveyor will be run at a height of 1.0 meters above ground with the
returning belt being at 0.3 meters above ground. Crossover bridges or
underpasses will be provided where necessary for persons. No vehicle
crossovers are needed. There will be an elevated section at the delivery
end of the conveyor to discharge into receiving bin for the elevator.
The conveyor will be constructed as a woven steel mesh with rubber
covering and will be tensioned by a hydraulic tensioning unit under
automatic control. Conveyor has an indirect drive with a fluid coupling.
The drive will be interlocked with the receiving hopper to avoid delivery
when the hopper is full.
Operations will be supervised from the area remote control panel. Assume
normal occupancy of the conveyor area is 4 persons close enough for
harm once per hour. In the general area assume up to 10 persons may be
present once per hour.
1)

You are required to do a risk assessment involving hazard identification

with risk estimates combined with risk reduction suggestions by following
the steps described in Chapter 3 paragraphs 3.3 and 3.5 and 3.6.

2)

You will find a risk assessment spreadsheet tool and reporting table
blank in the supplied file: DME_M15_Assignment_RA_Blank.xls. Save your
own copy with your initials and submit your RA results on this file.

3)

The risk estimates will use the PILZ scales for likelihood, consequence,
exposure and number of persons as described in the Chapter 3. The
tables of values are shown in the risk parameters sheet.
Marks will be awarded for methodology and consistency. Make your best
estimates of risk parameters, but the values will not be critical for
marking. Expect to find at least 10 entry items but several more may be
found. Maximum marks can be achieved with 10 good entries.

Task detail:
Marks
10%

10%

10%

5%

5%

Step 1: Begin by describing the limits of the machine and its

application environment that you are going to assume.
Basically this can be limited to the conveyor and its drives.
Then by using the checklist in the RA sheet identify as many
hazards as possible and briefly describe them in the
appropriate entry row in the spreadsheet. See entry line for
hazard 1.1 as an example.
Step 2: For each hazard that you believe may exist state the
possible causes and consequences on the record sheet. Now
estimate the likelihood and consequence values of the event
to obtain the initial assessment that will apply if no risk
reduction measures are applied. Enter N/A for any hazard
that is not applicable in your view.
In addition to the human consequences please also add in a
value from 0-5 for your estimate of any asset loss due to the
event. 0 = no loss and 5 = complete loss of the equipment
and extended production losses.
Step 3: Now consider the possibilities of applying the risk
reduction steps shown in figure 3.9 to each hazard in turn and
enter your suggestions in the table.
Step 4: Update the risk score values in the revised
assessment columns to obtain the revised risk score. Now
enter your required actions for the design team including the
production of notices or operating instructions. Add any point
you feel relevant into the comments column.
Step 5: Update the RA Summary sheet by copying across
those hazard entries that require any action.

The diagram above shows typical

working parts of a conveyor: The
tensioning system in this
assignment will use hydraulics and
not gravity as shown.
The picture here shows a typical
coal mining conveyor installed in a
low tunnel.

Practical exercise no 2: Exercise for a light curtain application (30 marks)

Practical exercise no 2: Exercise for a light curtain application (30 marks)

Subject

Calculation of safety distance as function of machine parameters and

AOPD design.

Relevance

Supports chapter 7. Fundamental requirement for all Electro Sensitive

Protection Equipment, in particular light curtains.
Assume that a perpendicular light curtain (i.e. vertical) is to be used for
point of operation guarding of a circuit board assembly machine. See
figure 1 below. The machine runs on a single cycle. For speed of production
it is essential that the attendant must able to reach into the machine to
insert the board and some parts. A forming platen is then lowered by
machine power. The objective is to minimize the downtime losses through
allowing rapid but safe access into the workpiece.

Starting
Information

There is of course a hazard of shearing and crushing to the hands and

arms of the attendant when reaching into the machine. The machine
movements must therefore stop when a hand approaches the hazardous
point and the light beam detection must be arranged at a safety distance
sufficient to ensure all motion is stopped before the hand and arm can
reach the hazard.
The following data applies:
Response time of the light curtain detection and interlock trip action: 220
milliseconds worst case
Machine stopping time 150 milliseconds.
Minimum object sensitivity of the light curtain: 25 mm
Height of the Hazard point above ground: 1100 mm
Figure 1: Representation of the
assembly machine with proposed
point of operation guarding assembly
machine. Danger zone and proposed
light curtain are shown.

Step 1: Calculate the minimum necessary safety distance from the vertical
centre line of the light curtain to the nearest point of hazard allowing for a
safety margin of 20 % on the machine stopping time.
Step 2: Then check whether or not this distance will allow a person to be
undetected between the light curtain and the machine. In the event of this
being possible what additional protection measure could be taken to ensure
safety?

Step 3: Now that you have found the safety distance in step 1 use table 1
and fig 2 overleaf to calculate the height of the top beam of the safety
curtain. Assume that the lowest beam is to be 300 mm above ground note
the total height of the light curtain
Step 4: Suppose that a horizontal light curtain is to be considered as an
alternative to the perpendicular version. Calculate the safety distance for
the outermost light beam if the horizontal curtain is mounted at 500 mm
above ground. Compare with step 3 and decide which beam arrangement
will require the least number of beams.
Step 5: Determine the required performance level that should be specified
for the light curtain safety system based on the assumption that the
attendant has to use the machine for several hours per day with frequent
cycles. The expected injury level will be damage to hand that should not be
permanent. Your decision may be based on the risk chart published for
guidance in ISO 13849-1 and included in the session 3 slides.
The diagram and table shown below are based on values proposed for ISO
13855 for the height of the top of a guard (b) based on the height of the
danger zone (a) and the safety distance (c).

Figure 1: Table of protective field heights for light curtains as per draft of ISO 13855

Figure 2: Dimension parameters for reaching over a barrier

26. Briefly explain any five (5) main stream energy sources available (3 or more sentences
required for each source). (10 marks)

Also explain how electricity is produced from any three (3) energy sources using energy
conversion (3 or more sentences required for each source). (6 marks)
27. Explain the steps involved and the three stages in conducting energy audits
28. Consider an existing 200 kW motor with 94% efficiency at a load factor of 0.9. The
motor runs for 6000 hours per annum. Determine the payback period (simple
undisocunted payback) if this motor is replaced with a 200 kW new motor with a 96%
efficiency assuming the new motor runs at same load factor and operating hours per
annum. The energy costs are 8 cents/kWh. The cost of the new motor is $7,000.00.
29. With a digram explain cogeneration using a combined cycle gas turbine plant. List any
two (2) advantages of cogeneration?
30. Describe with a diagram the electrolytic process in a hydrogen fuel cell. Also list the
applications and disadvantages of fuel cells.
31. Compare the advantages and disadvantages of any five (5) renewable energy sources (3
or more advantages/disadvantages required for each source).
32. What is the difference between a storage battery and a fuel cell?
33. What is the meaning of smelting in metalurgical process & how is electricity used in this
process?
34. Use examples to explain a process where temperature reduction occurs along with energy
recovery.
Provide an example for design of an energy efficient installation (5 or more sentences).
You can choose an example from the link below or any other example that you wish.
http://global.kyocera.com/ecology/eco/factory/energy.html
QUESTIONS
3
5

Which of these devices does non-contact measurement?

3
6

To assess the existing situation of a plant, good energy

saving strategy plan starts with
a) Energy audit
b) Training
c) Seminar
d) None of these

a) Turbine flow meter

b) Infrared thermometer
c) Orifice meter
d) Pilot tube

TYPE ANSWERS

3
7

A Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) plant has a thermal

efficiency less than single cycle steam power plant. TRUE or
FALSE?
a) True
b) False

3
8

CHP technologies are comprised of a prime mover and a

heat-recovery system and/or a thermally activated cooling
system. TRUE or FALSE?
a) True
b) False

3
9

If the efficiencies of a power plant, transmission and

distribution systems are 30%, 95% & 85% respectively, the
cascade efficiency of the system is given by
a) 24.2%
b) 28.5 %
c) 80.75%
d) 95%

4
0

Where feasible, energy should be recovered from liquid or

gaseous waste streams to make-up fresh air and water intake
in buildings. TRUE or FALSE?
a) True
b) False

4
1

Poor power factor results in:

a) Higher energy losses
b) Higher load current
c) Both a & b
d) Neither a or b

4
2

Which one of these would provide the best energy efficiency

for pump flow control?
a) Reccirculation
b) Throttle control
c) Cycle control
d) Use of Variable Speed Drive

4
3

Which one is normally not an energy conservation measure?

4
4

The annual electricity bill for a plant is $1 million which

accounts for 38% of the total energy bill. If the total energy
bill increases by 5% each year, what will the plants annual
energy bill be at the end of the third year?

a) To reduce excess air in combustion process

b) To replace 60 watt incandescent light bulb by a 12 watt
CFL
c) To convert an oil fired boiler to wood fired
d) To increase air conditioned room temperature by 2oC

a) $3.046m
b) $ 2.632m
c) $3.842m
d) None of the above