Overview
EN ISO 11111-6:2005 - "Textile machinery - Safety requirements - Part 6: Fabric manufacturing machinery" is a Type C safety standard published by CEN/ISO for fabric manufacturing machinery. Used in conjunction with ISO 11111-1 (Common requirements), it identifies significant hazards and specifies corresponding safety requirements and measures for machinery used in weaving, knitting and tufting. The standard supports conformity with EU Machinery Directive requirements (see informative Annex ZB) and was prepared by ISO/TC 72 and CEN/TC 214.
Key topics and requirements
The standard focuses on practical machine-safety measures and includes:
- List of significant hazards common to fabric manufacturing machines and references to ISO 11111-1 for frequent hazards.
- Machine-specific safety requirements for:
- Weaving machines (shuttle, rapier, gripper, water-jet, pile, Jacquard, narrow fabric types)
- Knitting machines (circular, flat-bed, warp knitting)
- Tufting machines
- Storage equipment for beams
- Control and emergency systems considerations (references to ISO 13849-1 for safety-related control systems and ISO 13850 for emergency-stop design).
- Verification of safety requirements and testing procedures to confirm measures are implemented.
- Information for machine use: instruction and maintenance data required for safe operation.
- Normative cross-references to related test and safety standards (e.g., ISO 9902 noise test code, ISO 14122 access requirements, IEC/EN standards for electro-sensitive protective equipment).
Practical applications and who uses this standard
EN ISO 11111-6:2005 is practical for stakeholders involved in the life cycle of textile machinery:
- Machine designers and manufacturers - to integrate protective measures and meet regulatory expectations.
- Systems integrators and OEMs - when combining components into fabric production lines.
- Safety engineers and compliance officers - for risk assessment, verification and CE conformity evidence.
- Plant managers, maintenance teams and machine users - to understand required guarding, access, emergency-stop and safety information.
- Certification bodies and inspectors - for evaluation against harmonized safety requirements.
Typical uses include machine design, procurement specifications, retrofits and upgrades, safety validation, operator training and documentation for compliance with EU directives.
Related standards
Key referenced documents in EN ISO 11111-6:2005:
Using EN ISO 11111-6:2005 alongside these standards provides a cohesive framework for textile machinery safety, risk reduction and regulatory conformity.
