Risk Assessment for Robot Cells Using ISO 12100
The process in five steps
- Define the limits: use, space, time, and reasonably foreseeable misuse.
- Identify hazards task by task, including maintenance and fault clearing.
- Estimate risk by severity and probability for each hazard.
- Reduce risk by design first, then safeguarding, then information.
- Record residual risk and communicate it in the manual.
Tasks people forget to assess
| Task | Hazard | Common gap |
|---|---|---|
| Teaching and programming | Unexpected motion at full speed | No safe teaching mode defined |
| Clearing a jam | Reaching into a live cell | No documented recovery routine |
| Tool change | Heavy part, pinch points | Not in the original assessment |
| Cleaning | Chemicals, moving axes | Done by contractors with no briefing |
| Maintenance | Stored energy, gravity | No lockout procedure |
Keep it alive
The assessment is a living document. Any change to the product, the tool, the speed or the layout requires a review, with a dated entry. An assessment that has not changed in three years while the cell has is a liability.