Secure focus on access

In the production environment, guards give people a clear signal that there is a sensitive area behind the safety gate and that caution is therefore required. Here, people are given access to the process behind the safety fence via a human-machine interface or a key. But what if the person is not qualified or authorized to do so and would put themselves or other people in danger? When it comes to access authorization, it becomes clear that safety and industrial security should be closely intertwined. What's more, industrial security ensures the integrity of safety on the machine. In production, for example, it protects machines or systems against unauthorized access from outside and sensitive process and machine data against falsification, loss and unauthorized access internally. This includes both explicit attacks and unintentional security incidents.

Safety and industrial security belong together

Industrial security will become mandatory by 2027 at the latest with the new Machinery Directive. In addition, various C standards stipulate that different operating modes must also include corresponding safety functions. Operating modes can be automatic mode, manual intervention under restricted conditions or service mode, for example. EN ISO 16090-1 for machining centers and special machines prescribes at least two operating modes for machines in order to ensure functional safety. It is important that only one operating mode is selected and active at any one time and that this is clearly displayed.

Different groups of people who come into contact with the machine are defined in order to regulate access. These include, for example, operating, cleaning or maintenance personnel. They are then assigned to a group according to their individual tasks or qualifications. Depending on the size of the company, approvals or access rights can be assigned to different user groups or, for example, to a machine type that is used throughout the group. In the course of a risk assessment, security experts estimate and evaluate the risk of anonymous access for each hazard. Measures are then defined in accordance with the state of the art and in compliance with harmonized standards to reduce the risk.

User-friendliness versus manipulation

When implementing the measures, it is important to ensure handling and usability for users during operation in order to prevent tampering. For design engineers, this already applies to the development process. Intuitively operable systems prevent safety precautions from being circumvented or machines from being operated incorrectly.

In addition, a well thought-out safety system plays a role in efficient processes without unnecessary downtimes. The topic of "bypassing safety guards" is therefore also a central point of EN ISO 14119: the standard defines guidelines for the design and selection of safety gate systems and thus offers concrete assistance on how to prevent tampering.

To prevent access doors from being opened deliberately or accidentally, they are secured with safety gate systems. Modular safety gate systems not only allow customized solutions, but also combine safety and industrial security with the appropriate extensions. They therefore offer the flexibility and decentralized intelligence to safeguard a wide range of applications. A "modular system for safety gate protection" from Pilz, for example, combines sensors, escape release, door handles and operating and push-button units. Depending on the application, the required components can be put together to create a customized solution.