SIST EN 61310-1:2008

Safety of machinery - Indication, marking and actuation -- Part 1: Requirements for visual, acoustic and tactile signals

Specifies requirements for visual, acoustic and tactile methods of indicating safety-related information, at the human-machine interface and to exposed persons. It specifies a system of colours, safety signs, markings and other warnings, intended for use in the indication of hazardous situations and health hazards and for meeting certain emergencies. It also specifies ways of coding visual, acoustic and tactile signals for indicators and actuators to facilitate the safe use and monitoring of the machinery. It includes the following significant technical changes with respect to the previous edition: Adapted to the basic standards IEC 60073, IEC 60417, ISO 3864-1, ISO 7000 and ISO 7010

Sicherheit von Maschinen - Anzeigen, Kennzeichen und Bedienen -- Teil 1: Anforderungen an sichtbare, hörbare und tastbare Signale

Sécurité des machines - Indication, marquage et manoeuvre -- Partie 1: Exigences pour les signaux visuels, acoustiques et tactiles

Spécifie des exigences concernant des méthodes visuelles, acoustiques et tactiles pour transmettre les informations relatives à la sécurité, à l'interface homme-machine et aux personnes exposées. Elle définit des règles générales pour un système de couleurs, de signaux de sécurité, de marquages et autres avertissements, destinées à être utilisées pour indiquer des situations dangereuses et des risques relatifs à la santé, et pour des cas d'urgence. Elle définit aussi comment coder les signaux visuels, acoustiques et tactiles des dispositifs indicateurs et des organes de commande, pour faciliter l'usage et la commande sûrs des machines. Comprend les modifications techniques significatives suivantes par rapport à l'édition précédente: Adaptation aux normes principales CEI 60073, CEI 60417, ISO 3864-1, ISO 7000 et ISO 7010.

Varnost strojev - Prikaz, oznaka in upravljanje - 1. del: Zahteve za vidne, zvočne in otipljive signale (IEC 61310-1:2007)

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 09-Apr-2008
• ICS: 01.080.20 - Graphical symbols for use on specific equipment
• ICS: 13.110 - Safety of machinery
• Technical Committee: MOV - Measuring equipment for electromagnetic quantities
• Current Stage: 6060 - National Implementation/Publication (Adopted Project)
• Start Date: 27-Feb-2008
• Due Date: 01-Sep-2008
• Completion Date: 10-Apr-2008
• Directive: 2006/42/EC - Directive 2006/42/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 May 2006 on machinery, and amending Directive 95/16/EC (recast)
• Directive: 2006/95/EC - Directive 2006/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2006 on the harmonisation of the laws of Member States relating to electrical equipment designed for use within certain voltage limits (codified version)
• Directive: 2014/35/EU - Directive 2014/35/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 February 2014 on the harmonisation of the laws of the Member States relating to the making available on the market of electrical equipment designed for use within certain voltage limits
• Directive: 73/23/EEC - Electrical equipment designed for use within certain voltage limits
• Directive: 98/37/EC - Machinery
• Mandate: M/396 - Mandate to CEN and Cenelec for standardisation in the field of machinery
• Ref Project: EN 61310-1:2008 - Safety of machinery - Indication, marking and actuation - Part 1: Requirements for visual, acoustic and tactile signals

Relations

• Replaces: SIST EN 61310-1:1999 - Safety of machinery - Indication, marking and actuation -- Part 1: Requirements for visual, auditory and tactile signals
• Effective Date: 01-Dec-2010
• Revised: SIST EN 61310-1:1999 - Safety of machinery - Indication, marking and actuation -- Part 1: Requirements for visual, auditory and tactile signals
• Effective Date: 14-Dec-2010

Overview

EN 61310-1:2008 - Safety of machinery: Indication, marking and actuation - Part 1: Requirements for visual, acoustic and tactile signals defines how safety-related information should be presented at the human‑machine interface and to exposed persons. The standard specifies a system of colours, safety signs, markings, visual/acoustic/tactile signals and coding methods to indicate hazardous situations, health risks and emergencies. EN 61310-1:2008 is the CLC/CENELEC adoption of IEC 61310-1:2007 and has been adapted to core standards such as IEC 60073, IEC 60417, ISO 3864-1, ISO 7000 and ISO 7010.

Key topics

• Scope and purpose: Requirements for indicating safety information on machinery where no dedicated product standard exists; reference for designers and standards committees.
• Visual signals: Guidance on use of colours, safety signs and graphical symbols at the human‑machine interface to improve recognition and reduce operator error.
• Acoustic signals: Principles for auditory danger signals, coding and use to ensure distinct, intelligible alarms.
• Tactile signals: Requirements for tactile feedback/coding where touch is required or helpful (e.g., controls used with gloves or in low-visibility conditions).
• Information coding: Rules for combining colour, shape, time, pitch and other parameters to code and disambiguate signals for safe monitoring and operation.
• Human factors: Emphasis on ergonomics and perception - placement, field of vision, and reducing cognitive load for operators.
• Conformity and directives: Supports conformity assessment under EC Machine Directives (e.g., 98/37/EC, 2006/42/EC) by covering essential requirements related to indication and warnings.

Applications

• Design of control panels, operator interfaces and HMI for industrial machinery.
• Specification of alarm systems, emergency signalling and safety signs on machines.
• Development of graphical symbols and indicator layouts for production lines, robotics, presses and other equipment.
• Use as a reference standard when creating product family or dedicated standards in ISO/IEC technical committees.

Who uses this standard

• Machine manufacturers and OEMs designing electromechanical machinery.
• Safety engineers and HMI designers specifying indicators, alarms and signage.
• Compliance and CE‑marking teams assessing conformity with Machinery Directives.
• Standards committees and technical writers creating harmonized product standards.

Related standards

• IEC 60073 (coding principles for indicators and actuators)
• IEC 60417 / ISO 7000 (graphical symbols for equipment)
• ISO 3864-1 / ISO 7010 (safety colours and signs)
• IEC 60204-1, ISO 7731, ISO 13850 (related machine safety/equipment standards)

EN 61310-1:2008 is essential reading for anyone responsible for safe, unambiguous signalling on machinery and for ensuring human‑centred, standards‑aligned interfaces.

Standards Content (Sample)

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-junij-2008
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SIST EN 61310-1:1999
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RWLSOMLYHVLJQDOH,(&
Safety of machinery - Indication, marking and actuation - Part 1: Requirements for visual,
acoustic and tactile signals
Sicherheit von Maschinen - Anzeigen, Kennzeichen und Bedienen - Teil 1:
Anforderungen an sichtbare, hörbare und tastbare Signale
Sécurité des machines - Indication, marquage et manoeuvre - Partie 1: Exigences pour
les signaux visuels, acoustiques et tactiles
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN 61310-1:2008
ICS:
01.080.20 *UDILþQLVLPEROL]DSRVHEQR Graphical symbols for use on
RSUHPR specific equipment
13.110 Varnost strojev Safety of machinery
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

EUROPEAN STANDARD
EN 61310-1
NORME EUROPÉENNE
February 2008
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
ICS 13.110 Supersedes EN 61310-1:1995

English version
Safety of machinery -
Indication, marking and actuation -
Part 1: Requirements for visual, acoustic and tactile signals

(IEC 61310-1:2007)
Sécurité des machines -  Sicherheit von Maschinen -
Indication, marquage et manoeuvre - Anzeigen, Kennzeichen und Bedienen -
Partie 1: Exigences pour les signaux Teil 1: Anforderungen an sichtbare,
visuels, acoustiques et tactiles hörbare und tastbare Signale
(CEI 61310-1:2007) (IEC 61310-1:2007)

This European Standard was approved by CENELEC on 2007-12-01. CENELEC members are bound to comply
with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard
the status of a national standard without any alteration.

Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references concerning such national standards may be obtained on
application to the Central Secretariat or to any CENELEC member.

This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other
language made by translation under the responsibility of a CENELEC member into its own language and notified
to the Central Secretariat has the same status as the official versions.

CENELEC members are the national electrotechnical committees of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the
Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia,
Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain,
Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

CENELEC
European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization
Comité Européen de Normalisation Electrotechnique
Europäisches Komitee für Elektrotechnische Normung

Central Secretariat: rue de Stassart 35, B - 1050 Brussels

© 2008 CENELEC - All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved worldwide for CENELEC members.
Ref. No. EN 61310-1:2008 E
Foreword
The text of document 44/540/FDIS, future edition 2 of IEC 61310-1, prepared by IEC TC 44, Safety of
machinery - Electrotechnical aspects, was submitted to the IEC-CENELEC parallel vote and was
approved by CENELEC as EN 61310-1 on 2007-12-01.
This European Standard supersedes EN 61310-1:1995.
EN 61310-1:2007 includes the following significant technical changes with respect to EN 61310-1:1995:
– adapted to the basic standards EN 60073, IEC 60417, ISO 3864-1, ISO 7000 and ISO 7010.
The following dates were fixed:
– latest date by which the EN has to be implemented
at national level by publication of an identical
national standard or by endorsement (dop) 2008-09-01
– latest date by which the national standards conflicting
with the EN have to be withdrawn (dow) 2010-12-01
This European Standard has been prepared under a mandate given to CENELEC by the European
Commission and the European Free Trade Association and covers essential requirements of
EC Directives MD (98/37/EC) and MD (2006/42/EC). See Annex ZZ.
Annexes ZA and ZZ have been added by CENELEC.
__________
Endorsement notice
The text of the International Standard IEC 61310-1:2007 was approved by CENELEC as a European
Standard without any modification.
In the official version, for Bibliography, the following notes have to be added for the standards indicated:
IEC 80416 NOTE Harmonized in EN 80416 series (not modified).
IEC 61310-3 NOTE Harmonized as EN 61310-3:2008 (not modified).
ISO 9241-3 NOTE Harmonized as EN 29241-3:1993 (not modified).
ISO 12100-1 NOTE Harmonized as EN ISO 12100-1:2003 (not modified).
__________
– 3 – EN 61310-1:2008
Annex ZA
(normative)
Normative references to international publications
with their corresponding European publications

The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated
references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced
document (including any amendments) applies.

NOTE  When an international publication has been modified by common modifications, indicated by (mod), the relevant EN/HD
applies.
Publication Year Title EN/HD Year

IEC 60073 2002 Basic and safety principles for man-machine EN 60073 2002
interface, marking and identification - Coding
principles for indicators and actuators

IEC 60204-1 2005 Safety of machinery - Electrical equipment EN 60204-1 2006
(mod) of machines -
Part 1: General requirements
IEC 60417 Data Graphical symbols for use on equipment – –
base
ISO 3864-1 2002 Graphical symbols - Safety colours and – –
safety signs -
Part 1: Design principles for safety signs in
workplaces and public areas
ISO 7000 2004 Graphical symbols for use on equipment - – –
Index and synopsis
ISO 7010 2003 Graphical symbols - Safety colours and
– –
safety signs - Safety signs used in
workplaces and public areas
ISO 7731 2003 Ergonomics - Danger signals for public and EN ISO 7731 2005
work areas - Auditory danger signals

1) 2)
ISO 13850 – Safety of machinery - Emergency stop - EN ISO 13850 2006
Principles for design
1)
Undated reference.
2)
Valid edition at date of issue.

Annex ZZ
(informative)
Coverage of Essential Requirements of EC Directives
Annex ZZA
(informative)
Coverage of Essential Requirements of Directive 98/37/EC
This European Standard has been prepared under a mandate given to CENELEC by the European
Commission and the European Free Trade Association and within its scope the standard covers the
following essential requirements out of those given in Annex I of the EC Directive 98/37/EC, amended by
Directive 98/79/EC:
– ER 1.7.0;
– ER 1.7.1.
Compliance with this standard provides one means of conformity with the specified essential
requirements of the Directive concerned.
WARNING: Other requirements and other EC Directives may be applicable to the products falling within
the scope of this standard.
Annex ZZB
(informative)
Coverage of Essential Requirements of Directive 2006/42/EC
This European Standard has been prepared under a mandate given to CENELEC by the European
Commission and the European Free Trade Association and within its scope the standard covers the
following essential requirements out of those given in Annex I of the EC Directive 2006/42/EC:
– ER 1.7.1;
– ER 1.7.1.1;
– ER 1.7.1.2.
Compliance with this standard provides one means of conformity with the specified essential
requirements of the Directive concerned.
WARNING: Other requirements and other EC Directives may be applicable to the products falling within
the scope of this standard.
NORME CEI
INTERNATIONALE
IEC
61310-1
INTERNATIONAL
Deuxième édition
STANDARD
Second edition
2007-02
Sécurité des machines –
Indication, marquage, manœuvre

Partie 1:
Exigences pour les signaux visuels,
acoustiques et tactiles
Safety of machinery –
Indication, marking and actuation –

Part 1:
Requirements for visual, acoustic
and tactile signals
© IEC 2007 Droits de reproduction réservés ⎯ Copyright - all rights reserved
Aucune partie de cette publication ne peut être reproduite ni No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any
utilisée sous quelque forme que ce soit et par aucun procédé, form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
électronique ou mécanique, y compris la photocopie et les photocopying and microfilm, without permission in writing from
microfilms, sans l'accord écrit de l'éditeur. the publisher.
International Electrotechnical Commission, 3, rue de Varembé, PO Box 131, CH-1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland
Telephone: [phone] Telefax: [phone] E-mail: [e-mail] Web: www.iec.ch
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МеждународнаяЭлектротехническаяКомиссия
Pour prix, voir catalogue en vigueur
For price, see current catalogue

61310-1 © IEC:2007 – 3 –
CONTENTS
FOREWORD.5
INTRODUCTION.9

1 Scope.11
2 Normative references .11
3 Terms and definitions .13
4 Presentation of safety-related information .17
4.1 General .17
4.2 Visual signals .21
4.3 Acoustic signals .25
4.4 Tactile signals .27
5 Information coding.27
5.1 General .27
5.2 Coding of visual signals.27
5.3 Coding of acoustic signals.29
5.4 Coding of tactile signals .31

Annex A (informative) Graphical symbols related to the operation of actuators .35

Bibliography.43

Figure 1 – Open-loop control, action and information systems .9
Figure 2 – Zones of vertical field of vision.23
Figure 3 – Zones of horizontal field of vision.23
Figure 4 – Examples of shapes that can be discriminated by touch alone .33

Table 1 – Examples of signals .21
Table 2 – Meaning of colours for coding – General principles .29
Table 3 – Coding by supplementary means to colour (visual codes).29
Table 4 – Acoustic signals .31
Table 5 – Means of coding (acoustic codes) .31
Table 6 – Means of coding (tactile codes) .33
Table A.1 – Graphical symbols related to the operation of actuators .35

61310-1 © IEC:2007 – 5 –
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
SAFETY OF MACHINERY –
INDICATION, MARKING AND ACTUATION –

Part 1: Requirements for visual, acoustic
and tactile signals
FOREWORD
1) The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for standardization comprising
all national electrotechnical committees (IEC National Committees). The object of IEC is to promote
international co-operation on all questions concerning standardization in the electrical and electronic fields. To
this end and in addition to other activities, IEC publishes International Standards, Technical Specifications,
Technical Reports, Publicly Available Specifications (PAS) and Guides (hereafter referred to as “IEC
Publication(s)”). Their preparation is entrusted to technical committees; any IEC National Committee interested
in the subject dealt with may participate in this preparatory work. International, governmental and non-
governmental organizations liaising with the IEC also participate in this preparation. IEC collaborates closely
with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in accordance with conditions determined by
agreement between the two organizations.
2) The formal decisions or agreements of IEC on technical matters express, as nearly as possible, an international
consensus of opinion on the relevant subjects since each technical committee has representation from all
interested IEC National Committees.
3) IEC Publications have the form of recommendations for international use and are accepted by IEC National
Committees in that sense. While all reasonable efforts are made to ensure that the technical content of IEC
Publications is accurate, IEC cannot be held responsible for the way in which they are used or for any
misinterpretation by any end user.
4) In order to promote international uniformity, IEC National Committees undertake to apply IEC Publications
transparently to the maximum extent possible in their national and regional publications. Any divergence
between any IEC Publication and the corresponding national or regional publication shall be clearly indicated in
the latter.
5) IEC provides no marking procedure to indicate its approval and cannot be rendered responsible for any
equipment declared to be in conformity with an IEC Publication.
6) All users should ensure that they have the latest edition of this publication.
7) No liability shall attach to IEC or its directors, employees, servants or agents including individual experts and
members of its technical committees and IEC National Committees for any personal injury, property damage or
other damage of any nature whatsoever, whether direct or indirect, or for costs (including legal fees) and
expenses arising out of the publication, use of, or reliance upon, this IEC Publication or any other IEC
Publications.
8) Attention is drawn to the Normative references cited in this publication. Use of the referenced publications is
indispensable for the correct application of this publication.
9) Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this IEC Publication may be the subject of
patent rights. IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
International Standard IEC 61310-1 has been prepared by IEC technical committee 44: Safety
of machinery – Electrotechnical aspects.
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition published in 1995 and constitutes a
technical revision.
This edition includes the following significant technical changes with respect to the previous
edition:
– Adapted to the basic standards IEC 60073, IEC 60417, ISO 3864-1, ISO 7000 and ISO 7010.

61310-1 © IEC:2007 – 7 –
The text of this standard is based on the following documents:
FDIS Report on voting
44/540/FDIS 44/546/RVD
Full information on the voting for the approval of this standard can be found in the report on
voting indicated in the above Table.
This publication has been drafted in accordance with the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
A list of all parts of IEC 61310 series, under the general title Safety of machinery – Indication,
marking and actuation, can be found on the IEC website.
The committee has decided that the contents of this publication will remain unchanged until
the maintenance result date indicated on the IEC web site under "http://webstore.iec.ch" in
the data related to the specific publication. At this date, the publication will be
• reconfirmed;
• withdrawn;
• replaced by a revised edition, or
• amended.
61310-1 © IEC:2007 – 9 –
INTRODUCTION
This standard should be used by suppliers of machines for which no product family or
dedicated product standard exists. The requirements of this standard should also be used, for
example, as a reference standard by ISO and IEC technical committees which prepare
product family or dedicated product standards for machines. Where a product family or
dedicated product standard exists, its requirements take precedence.
At human-machine interfaces, warning and danger signals need to convey safety-related
meanings for the safe use and monitoring of machinery for exposed persons and operators.
It is via the human-machine interface that the operator interacts with the machinery or
process in an open-loop system (see Figure 1). This interface consists of actuators, by
means of which the operator initiates actions, and indicating devices, through which the
operator receives information. In many applications, the information is represented by a
signal which is encoded by a distinct set of rules and the operator has then to interpret the
signal according to these rules. Different types of coding such as colour, shape or time are
used as appropriate to the demands of the task of the operator.
The reasons for using codes are:
– to permit the spatial separation of the machinery from centralized control stations;
– to increase the perceptible amount of information given by an indicating device, for
example, per display area unit, per unit of time;
– to decrease the mental work-load of an operator and/or exposed persons.
Human-machine interface
Figure 1 – Open-loop control, action and information systems

61310-1 © IEC:2007 – 11 –
SAFETY OF MACHINERY –
INDICATION, MARKING AND ACTUATION –

Part 1: Requirements for visual, acoustic
and tactile signals
1 Scope
This part of IEC 61310 specifies requirements for visual, acoustic and tactile methods of
indicating safety-related information, at the human-machine interface and to exposed persons.
It specifies a system of colours, safety signs, markings and other warnings, intended for use
in the indication of hazardous situations and health hazards and for meeting certain
emergencies. It also specifies ways of coding visual, acoustic and tactile signals for indicators
and actuators to facilitate the safe use and monitoring of the machinery.
This standard is based on IEC 60073 with regard to coding by colour and alternative means,
but is not limited to electrotechnical aspects.
2 Normative references
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document.
For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition
of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
IEC 60073:2002, Basic and safety principles for man-machine interface, marking and
identification – Coding principles for indicators and actuators
IEC 60204-1:2005, Safety of machinery – Electrical equipment of machines – Part 1: General
requirements
IEC 60417, Graphical symbols for use on equipment
ISO 3864-1:2002, Graphical symbols – Safety colours and safety signs – Part 1: Design
principles for safety signs in workplaces and public areas
ISO 7000:2004, Graphical symbols for use on equipment – Index and synopsis
ISO 7010:2003, Graphical symbols – Safety colours and safety signs – Safety signs used in
workplaces and public areas
ISO 7731:2003, Ergonomics – Danger signals for public and work areas – Auditory danger
signals
ISO 13850, Safety of machinery – Emergency stop – Principles for design

61310-1 © IEC:2007 – 13 –
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
NOTE The terms are sorted in alphabetical order.
3.1
actuator
part of the actuating system which receives a human actuating action
[IEV 441-15-22, modified]
NOTE The actuator may take the form of a handle, knob, pedal, push-button, roller, plunger, mouse, light pen,
keyboard, touch sensitive screen, etc.
3.2
brightness
attribute of a visual sensation according to which an area appears to emit more or less light
[IEV 845-02-28]
3.3
coding
systematic representation of specific signals or values by another set of signals, which has to
conform to a definite set of rules
3.4
contrast
a) in the perceptual sense: difference in appearance of two or more parts of a field seen
simultaneously or successively
NOTE Examples of types of contrast are brightness contrast, colour contrast, simultaneous contrast, successive
contrast, etc.
b) in the physical sense: quantity intended to correlate with the perceived brightness contrast,
usually defined by one of a number of formulae which involve the luminances of the stimuli
considered
NOTE For example: contrast is given by ΔL/L near the luminance threshold, or by L /L for much higher
1 2
luminances.
[IEV 845-02-47, modified]
3.5
exposed person
any person wholly or partially in a danger zone
3.6
graphical symbol
visually perceptible figure with a particular meaning used to transmit information
independently of language
[ISO 17724,31]
3.7
hazard
potential source of harm
NOTE 1 The term "hazard" can be qualified in order to define its origin (e.g. mechanical hazard, electrical hazard)
or the nature of the potential harm (e.g. electric shock hazard, cutting hazard, toxic hazard, fire hazard).
...