To improve machinery safety, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is developing standard 60621.
“It will impact the discrete process-control industry, because it will introduce new quantitative considerations (i.e., SILs) in addressing functional safety in the machinery sector,” says safety consultant Vic Maggioli, who is a commenter on the standard.
But, he says, “IEC 62061, a machinery-sector standard based on IEC 61508, is still in the developmental and comment stages. The National Electrical Manufacturers Association is the U.S. coordinating body for the standard.”
Being reviewed by IEC is 61508, the seven-part functional safety umbrella standard, Maggioli says. “It addresses functional safety for all industry sectors with emphasis on safety equipment requirements. It is being reviewed and commented on to address its five-year maintenance-cycle requirement.”
IEC 61508 was developed for electrical/electronic/programmable electronic safety-related systems. It covers safety-related systems such as electromechanical, solid-state electronic and computer-based.
See the story that goes with this sidebar: Standards bodies take on safety
