EN ISO 12100, widely regarded as the cornerstone standard for machinery safety, underpins all machinery standards linked to the Machinery Directive and the upcoming Machinery Regulation. This so-called ‘A-type standard’ has been under revision for several years now to accommodate the new health and safety requirements introduced by the future Machinery Regulation. Given its central role, its revision is expected to have far-reaching implications for worker protection across Europe. The ETUC has therefore been actively participating in this work.
Following a negative vote at the second Draft International Standard (DIS) stage, ISO/TC 199 Working Group 5 has reviewed and addressed a substantial number of comments in February. However, several fundamental issues remain unresolved.
One of the most contentious issues is the concept of “tolerable risk”. While this notion is widely used at the international level, it is not recognized under the EU Machinery Regulation, which instead refers to “residual risk”. The ETUC has consistently emphasized the need to align the standard with EU legal terminology to ensure compliance. Despite proposals to refine its definition to align more with the terminology of the Machinery Regulation, no further progress has been made.
The working group has nevertheless agreed to continue the revision process with another DIS round. Whether the compromises reached will be sufficient to secure broader support remains to be seen. The outcome will, however, be decisive for the future direction of machinery safety standards in Europe.
