ISO 13854-2017 PDF

Full title and description

Safety of machinery — Minimum gaps to avoid crushing of parts of the human body (ISO 13854:2017). This International Standard specifies minimum gap dimensions intended to prevent crushing injuries by ensuring that openings, gaps or clearances in or between machine parts are too small or too large to trap parts of the human body.

Abstract

ISO 13854:2017 enables users (e.g. standards developers, machine designers and safety professionals) to avoid hazards arising from crushing zones by specifying minimum gaps relative to parts of the human body. The standard is applicable only where adequate protection can be achieved by controlling gap sizes; it does not address other risks such as impact, shearing or drawing-in, for which additional measures are required.

General information

• Status: Published (confirmed).
• Publication date: November 2017 (ISO edition published 2017-11).
• Publisher: International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
• ICS / categories: 13.110 (Safety of machinery).
• Edition / version: Edition 2 (2017).
• Number of pages: 5 pages (official ISO publication).

Scope

The standard applies to risks from crushing hazards only and gives dimensional guidance for minimum gaps to prevent parts of the human body (fingers, hands, arms, feet, legs, etc.) becoming trapped between moving or fixed parts. ISO 13854 is intended for use when adequate protection can be achieved by gap dimensions alone; it is not intended to cover hazards that require other protective measures (for example impact, shearing or drawing-in), nor to address every possible human anthropometric variation.

Key topics and requirements

• Definition of minimum gap sizes related to different body parts to reduce crushing risk.
• Application limitations: applicable only where gap-control provides sufficient protection.
• Clear statement that other hazards (impact, shearing, drawing-in) are outside the document’s scope and need additional measures.
• Guidance for designers and standards makers on using gap dimensions as a protective measure.
• Reference to relevant safety principles (risk assessment and selection of protective measures).
• Compatibility with related ISO machinery-safety standards and adoption in national/regional variants (EN ISO versions).

Typical use and users

Used by machine designers, safety engineers, standards developers, certification and conformity assessment bodies, risk assessors, maintenance planners and regulatory compliance teams. Typical applications include specifying guard clearances, designing fixed and movable guards, setting requirements for panels and enclosures, and informing machine risk assessments where crushing is a hazard.

Related standards

Commonly used alongside ISO 12100 (general principles for design — risk assessment and risk reduction), ISO 13855 (positioning of safeguards with respect to approach of the human body), ISO 13857 (safety distances to prevent hazard zones being reached by upper and lower limbs), ISO 14120 (guards — general requirements), and relevant national/adopted versions such as EN ISO 13854 (where published). These standards together form the body of guidance on guarding, protective distances and anthropometric considerations for machinery safety.

Keywords

minimum gaps, crushing, entrapment, machinery safety, guards, clearances, anthropometry, ISO 13854:2017, risk reduction, safety of machinery

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: ISO 13854:2017 is an International Standard that specifies minimum gap dimensions to prevent crushing of parts of the human body by machinery.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers dimensional requirements for gaps and clearances intended to prevent crushing hazards. It applies only where controlling gap size provides adequate protection and does not cover other hazards such as impact, shearing or drawing-in.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Machine designers, safety engineers, standards developers, conformity assessment bodies, risk assessors and regulators use this standard when designing guards and specifying safe clearances on machinery.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: Current. ISO 13854 was published in November 2017 (Edition 2) and is the revision that replaced the 1996 edition. The 2017 edition is listed as published/confirmed by ISO.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: It is part of the ISO machinery-safety family of standards (ICS 13.110), which includes related documents on guarding, safety distances and protective equipment such as ISO 12100, ISO 13855, ISO 13857 and ISO 14120; these documents are often used together for comprehensive machine safety design.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: minimum gaps, crushing, entrapment, guards, clearances, machinery safety, anthropometry, ISO 13854.