Overview
EN ISO 10472-2:2008 (ISO 10472-2:1997) specifies safety requirements for industrial laundry machinery - specifically washing machines and washer-extractors. Adopted by CEN, this part complements ISO 10472‑1 (common requirements) and covers the most significant hazards for machines with a net usable cage volume greater than 60 L. It is intended to guide designers, manufacturers and safety assessors on machine safety, risk reduction and conformity with applicable EU machinery directives (see informative Annexes ZA and ZB).
Key topics and technical requirements
The standard addresses hazards, safety measures and verification methods. Major technical topics include:
- Scope and normative references - relationship to ISO 10472‑1 and other relevant technical reports and standards.
- Definitions and terminology used for industrial laundry machinery.
- Hazard identification - systematic listing of likely hazards for washing machines and washer‑extractors.
- Mechanical hazards - rotating cages, manual and power‑operated drum doors, cage doors, loss of stability, suspended machines, falling loads and loading devices.
- Electrical hazards - requirements to reduce electrical risk per referenced electrotechnical standards.
- Thermal hazards - hot liquor, hot surfaces, heat energy and viewing panels.
- Noise and vibration - recognition of hazards generated by noise.
- Materials and chemical hazards - aggressive chemicals, fire/explosion risks and biological hazards.
- Ergonomics and human factors - design to avoid musculoskeletal risk and poor operation layout.
- Energy supply and control failures - safe behavior on loss of power or control malfunction.
- Particular machine types - additional measures for barrier machines and tilting machines (manual and automatic), loading/unloading, overturning and maintenance.
- Verification - procedures for verifying that safety requirements and measures are met.
- Information for use - documentation, instructions and warnings for safe operation and maintenance.
Applications and users
EN ISO 10472‑2 is practical for:
- Machine designers and OEMs developing industrial washing machines and washer‑extractors.
- Safety engineers performing risk assessments and specifying guards, interlocks and controls.
- Manufacturers preparing technical files for CE marking and demonstrating presumption of conformity with EU Directives (98/37/EC and 2006/42/EC as referenced).
- Procurement specifiers, inspection bodies and service/maintenance teams who need standard-based safety guidance.
Related standards
Normative references and complementary standards in the document include (but are not limited to):
- ISO 10472‑1 (Part 1: Common requirements)
- ISO/TR 12100‑1 / 12100‑2 (machine safety fundamentals)
- ISO 13849‑1 (safety‑related control systems)
- IEC 335 series, EN 349, EN 953, EN 1037
This standard is essential for achieving systematic, state‑of‑the‑art safety design and regulatory compliance for industrial laundry washing machines and washer‑extractors. Keywords: EN ISO 10472‑2:2008, industrial laundry machinery, washing machines, washer‑extractors, machine safety, risk assessment, CEN, EU Machinery Directive.