Overview
EN ISO 14118:2018 - Safety of machinery: Prevention of unexpected start‑up (ISO 14118:2017) provides guidance on designed‑in means to prevent unexpected machine start‑up so that persons can safely intervene in danger zones. It covers unexpected start‑up from all types of energy sources - electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, stored energy (e.g. gravity, springs) and external influences (e.g. wind). This document is a type‑B (generic) machinery safety standard and does not specify performance levels (PL) or safety integrity levels (SIL) for safety‑related control systems; specific measures for a particular machine must be determined by risk assessment or a type‑C standard.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Scope and definitions: Clarifies what constitutes “unexpected start‑up” and “danger zones.”
- General prevention measures (Clause 4): Manual isolation, energy dissipation and other means (including signalling/delayed start) to keep machinery stopped while people are present.
- Isolation and energy dissipation (Clause 5):
- Isolation from power supplies (electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic).
- Devices for stored‑energy dissipation or restraint and associated locking/ securing facilities.
- Design measures to prevent unintended start commands (Clause 6):
- Strategies to avoid inadvertent actuation of start controls.
- Selection and location of power control elements.
- Measures to maintain stop commands and mechanical disconnection/ immobilization.
- Verification and design for testing (Clause 7): Provisions for verifying isolation, energy dissipation and containment.
- Annex A (informative): Examples of tasks that may require people to be in danger zones.
- Regulatory linkage: When cited in the Official Journal, compliance with EN ISO 14118:2018 supports presumption of conformity with essential requirements of Directive 2006/42/EC.
Practical applications
- Use EN ISO 14118:2018 to:
- Design machinery with measures that prevent unexpected start‑up during maintenance, adjustments or diagnostics.
- Develop lockout‑tagout procedures, isolation practices and verification checks.
- Define requirements for stored‑energy restraints and locking devices.
- Typical settings: industrial machinery design, maintenance planning, machine retrofits, and safety audits.
Who should use this standard
- Machine manufacturers - to integrate prevention measures during design.
- Health & safety regulators and inspectors - to evaluate machine safety practices.
- Maintenance and service providers - to develop safe intervention procedures.
- Standards bodies - as a basis for type‑C machine‑specific standards.
Related standards
- ISO 12100 (basic principles for machine safety)
- EN 1037 (superseded by EN ISO 14118:2018)
- Directive 2006/42/EC (machinery regulation) - normative relationship when cited
EN ISO 14118:2018 is essential for organizations aiming to reduce risks from unexpected start‑up and to align machine design and procedures with recognized safety best practices.
