ISO 18497-4-2024 PDF

Full title and description

St ISO 18497-4-2024 — Agricultural machinery and tractors — Safety of partially automated, semi-autonomous and autonomous machinery — Part 4: Verification methods and validation principles. This part of the ISO 18497 series defines principles and guidance for verification and validation when designing and assessing safety-related functions of agricultural machinery and tractors that incorporate partially automated, semi‑autonomous or autonomous capabilities, with the aim of ensuring an appropriate level of safety for intended uses.

Abstract

This document specifies principles for verification methods and validation principles applicable to agricultural machinery and tractors used in agricultural applications that have partially automated, semi‑autonomous or autonomous functions. It provides guidance on suitable tests, simulations and analysis approaches, and on assessment of risk‑reduction measures and information for use so manufacturers and assessors can demonstrate an appropriate level of safety for specified use cases.

General information

• Status: Published
• Publication date: July 2024 (first edition).
• Publisher: International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
• ICS / categories: 65.060.01 (Agricultural machines and equipment in general).
• Edition / version: Edition 1 (2024).
• Number of pages: 38.

Scope

ISO 18497-4:2024 deals with the significant hazards, hazardous situations and events relevant to agricultural machinery and tractors with partially automated, semi‑autonomous or autonomous functions when used as intended and under reasonably foreseeable misuse during normal operation and service. It specifies verification and validation principles to support provision of specific safety requirements, means of verification and information for use. The document does not cover forestry applications, operations on public roads (including braking and steering system requirements for road use), nor does it apply retroactively to machines manufactured or put into service before the date of publication.

Key topics and requirements

• Principles for selection and application of verification methods: tests, test methods, test setups and conditions, and appropriate simulation approaches.
• Validation principles to evaluate verification methods, assess risk‑reduction levels (per ISO 12100 risk assessment principles) and to evaluate functional safety performance (references to ISO 25119 / ISO 13849 where applicable).
• Guidance on information for use and required manufacturer information about safe working practices and residual risks.
• Interaction and alignment with machine‑specific (type‑C) standards and the rest of the ISO 18497 series.
• Exclusions and applicability rules (forestry, public road operations, and machines placed in service before publication are out of scope).

Typical use and users

Primary users include agricultural machinery manufacturers and OEMs, system integrators, safety and functional‑safety engineers, test laboratories, conformity assessment and certification bodies, procurement/specification teams and national regulatory agencies. The standard is used to define verification/validation strategies during product development, to inform test programs and acceptance criteria, and to support declarations of conformity and safety documentation.

Related standards

ISO 18497-4:2024 is part of the revised ISO 18497 series (which includes ISO 18497-1:2024 — machine design principles and vocabulary, ISO 18497-2:2024, ISO 18497-3:2024 — autonomous operating zones, etc.) and together these replace ISO 18497:2018. Normative and informative cross‑references commonly include ISO 12100 (risk assessment), ISO 13849‑1/2 and the ISO 25119 series for functional safety of agricultural machinery control systems.

Keywords

agricultural machinery; tractors; verification; validation; automated machinery; semi‑autonomous; autonomous; safety; risk assessment; functional safety; information for use; ISO 18497.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: ISO 18497-4:2024 is part 4 of the ISO 18497 series and provides principles for verification methods and validation principles for agricultural machinery and tractors with partially automated, semi‑autonomous or autonomous functions.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers principles and guidance for choosing and applying verification methods (tests, simulations, analyses), and for validating that safety measures achieve the intended risk‑reduction and functional performance for specified agricultural use cases. It excludes forestry applications, public road operations and machines placed in service before publication.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Manufacturers, OEMs, safety engineers, test laboratories, certification and conformity assessment bodies, procurement teams and regulators — anyone responsible for demonstrating or assessing the safety of automated functions on agricultural machines and tractors.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: It is current (published July 2024) and is part of the 2024 revision of the ISO 18497 series that replaces ISO 18497:2018.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes — ISO 18497-4:2024 is one part of the multi‑part ISO 18497 series (parts 1–4 published in 2024) addressing machine design principles, specific functional areas (such as autonomous operating zones) and verification/validation principles.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: Key keywords are: agricultural machinery, tractors, verification, validation, automated, semi‑autonomous, autonomous, safety, functional safety, risk assessment, ISO 18497.