CEN/TC 146/WG 3 - Palletizing machines - Particular requirements for safety

This standard specifies the safety requirements for the design, manufacture and information for safe use of palletisers, depalletisers, and stackers/unstackers of empty pallets integrated or not into a (de)palletiser as defined in 3.1. In many respects palletisers and depalletisers present the same risks. In this text they are referred to together as (de)palletisers.  For manipulating industrial robots used in (de)palletiser applications this standard and EN 775 apply.  These safety requirements apply to automatic and semi-automatic (de)palletisers. They take into account the hazards which may occur during setting, commissioning and decommissioning, adjustment, use according to the information given by the manufacturer, maintenance (both preventive and repair) and cleaning. This standard does not cover the following hazards which can occur on (de)palletisers in certain circumstances:  - Heat; - Noise; - Radiation; - Fumes, gas, dust;  - Vibration;  - Ergonomics (see EN 614-1:1995).  Furthermore this standard does not cover hazards arising from contents of the load (e.g. toxic or flammable materials).  Linked equipment, before and after the (de)palletiser, which is not an integral part of (de)palletising machinery, (for example pallet load securing) is not covered by this standard.  This standard applies primarily to the machines which are manufactured after the date of issue of the standard.

This document is applicable to the following groups of machines, auxiliary equipment and their combinations:
-   palletizers;
-   depalletizers;
-   auxiliary equipment incorporated in or linked to the operations of palletizers and depalletizers;
-   conveying systems which are part of palletizers or depalletizers;
-   palletizers combined with functions of machines which are covered by other parts of EN 415, but detailed requirements are only provided for palletizing functions.
The individual machines are described in 3.2. Auxiliary equipment is described in 3.3.
This document deals with safety requirements for machine design, transport, installation, commissioning, operation, adjustment, maintenance and cleaning of palletizers, depalletizers, auxiliary equipment and conveying systems which are part of palletizer or depalletizer. The extent to which hazards, hazardous situations and events are covered is indicated in Annex B.
Exclusions:
This document is not applicable to the following machines:
-   machines that were manufactured before the date of publication of this document by CEN;
-   conveyors that connect palletizers and depalletizers with machines that are not in the scope of this document.
Conveyors in the scope of this document also fall in the scope of EN 619:2002+A1:2010, however, this document describes the additional or specific hazards for conveyors fitted into palletizers and depalletizers and so the requirements of this document take precedence over the requirements of EN 619:2002+A1:2010.
This document does not consider the following hazards:
-   the use of palletizers and depalletizers in a potentially explosive atmosphere;
-   the health, safety or hygiene hazards associated with the products that are contained in the unit load handled by palletizers and depalletizers except for the spillage of hazardous substances caused by the malfunction of a machine.

This standard specifies the safety requirements for the design, manufacture and information for safe use of palletisers, depalletisers, and stackers/unstackers of empty pallets integrated or not into a (de)palletiser as defined in 3.1. In many respects palletisers and depalletisers present the same risks. In this text they are referred to together as (de)palletisers. For manipulating industrial robots used in (de)palletiser applications this standard and EN 775 apply. These safety requirements apply to automatic and semi-automatic (de)palletisers. They take into account the hazards which may occur during setting, commissioning and decommissioning, adjustment, use according to the information given by the manufacturer, maintenance (both preventive and repair) and cleaning. This standard does not cover the following hazards which can occur on (de)palletisers in certain circumstances: - Heat; - Noise; - Radiation; - Fumes, gas, dust; - Vibration; - Ergonomics (see EN 614-1:1995). Furthermore this standard does not cover hazards arising from contents of the load (e.g. toxic or flammable materials). Linked equipment, before and after the (de)palletiser, which is not an integral part of (de)palletising machinery, (for example pallet load securing) is not covered by this standard. This standard applies primarily to the machines which are manufactured after the date of issue of the standard (see EN 415-4:1997)