Overview
ISO 29042-1:2008 - Safety of machinery - Evaluation of the emission of airborne hazardous substances - Part 1: Selection of test methods - provides guidance on selecting appropriate test methods and assessment parameters for evaluating emissions of airborne pollutants from machines and the performance of integrated pollutant control systems. This Type-B standard (per ISO 12100) defines the parameters to assess emission behaviour and to compare capture, separation and overall control performance without prescribing a single measurement technique.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Assessment parameters defined
- Uncontrolled emission rate: mass of pollutant emitted when control measures are deactivated.
- Controlled emission rate: mass emitted with control measures active.
- Capture efficiency (ηc): fraction of pollutant directly collected by a capture device.
- Separation efficiency by mass (ηs): fraction of pollutant retained by an air cleaning system.
- Pollutant concentration parameter (Pc): measured concentration at specified locations near the machine.
- Decontamination index (IA): improvement in ambient air quality with control systems operating.
- Selection criteria for test methods
- Nature of the pollutant (real pollutant vs tracer material).
- Nature of the test environment (test bench, room method, or field method).
- Relevance to foreseeable working situations and comparability between machines and systems.
- Measurement locations: in ducts with flow-rate measurement or at locations around the machine.
- Test environments described
- Test bench (laboratory cabin): controlled, single-machine tests in a known-volume enclosure.
- Room method: larger laboratory or on-site room, better control of ventilation and crossdrafts.
- Field method: on-site testing under real operating conditions, capturing disturbances and realistic ventilation.
- Emphasis on using real pollutant where possible; tracer techniques allowed when tracer and pollutant have comparable discharge/flow patterns.
Applications and users
ISO 29042-1 is intended for:
- Machine manufacturers and designers validating pollutant control features.
- Safety engineers and occupational hygienists assessing exposure reduction measures.
- Test laboratories and certification bodies selecting appropriate measurement protocols.
- Plant managers and regulators reviewing compliance and verifying control system performance.
Practical uses include evaluating capture systems, sizing/validating air cleaning systems, comparing machines by emission rates, and informing risk assessments (part of broader machine safety verification, e.g., ISO 14123-2).
Related standards
- ISO 12100 (machine safety principles)
- Other parts of ISO 29042 series:
- ISO 29042-2 (tracer gas method - emission rate)
- ISO 29042-3 (test bench method - emission rate)
- ISO 29042-4 (tracer method - capture efficiency)
- ISO 29042-5 / -6 (separation efficiency - under preparation)
- ISO 29042-7 to -9 (pollutant concentration parameter, room method, decontamination index - planned)
Keywords: ISO 29042-1:2008, safety of machinery, airborne hazardous substances, emission evaluation, test methods, capture efficiency, separation efficiency, pollutant concentration, decontamination index.
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