2010 Volume 3 Issue 2 Pages 93-101
The machinery safety standards originating from Machinery Directive 98/37/EC, which matched and harmonized European standards on machinery in January 1995, have been recognised at the international level. Having been considered as global standards that would remove impediments to the free circulation of machinery, Member States of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and signatories to the agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Agreement) adopted them as national standards, and they have become increasingly established on a global basis. International standards for machinery safety observe the hierarchical structure stipulated in ISO/IEC Guide 51, which classifies machinery and electrical technologies respectively in ISO and IEC standards. Whereas most modern machinery is powered by an electric drive, safety monitoring of the entire machine and hazard avoidance during abnormality can only be carried out by electronic controls, with the exception of the prevention of electric shock or electrical fires as electrical safety. It is obvious that machinery safety cannot be attainable without electrical safety technology. With a clear understanding of the current situation of machinery safety in Japan, this thesis will first look at the benefit of introducing international safety standards into manufacturing industries in Japan and risk assessment techniques as a means to achieve mechanical safety. It will then propose standardization based on the compliance with international electrical standards as one method to achieve the safer machinery the manufacturing industry has sought for, and examine its effectiveness with practical examples.
