Site preparation
Include guard clearances, isolators, access and safe utility connection in the layout.
UK machinery project guidance
Machinery safety and compliance depend on the supplied machine, the completed line, the product, the installation and how work is organised. This guide supports project planning; it does not replace a competent, site-specific risk assessment, conformity work or legal advice.
Clarify who is designing, supplying, importing, assembling, installing, modifying, operating and maintaining each part of the system. A standalone machine may become part of a larger assembly once conveyors, feeders, guards and controls are connected. The project should define where each supplier’s scope ends, who assesses the completed interfaces and who holds the final technical and operating information.
For current Great Britain product-marking and machinery-supply requirements, check the latest official GOV.UK guidance on UKCA and CE marked products and the applicable legislation. Requirements can change and may differ for Northern Ireland or export markets, so obtain competent advice for the specific supply.
List normal production, setup, cleaning, format change, replenishment, clearing a blockage, sampling, fault diagnosis, maintenance and foreseeable misuse. Many packaging-machine incidents occur during intervention rather than stable automatic running. The Health and Safety Executive’s current packaging machinery guidance highlights the seriousness of risks during use, maintenance and blockage clearing.
| Project area | Questions to resolve | Evidence or output |
|---|---|---|
| Hazard identification | Where are crushing, drawing-in, cutting, entanglement, heat, pressure, electrical, pneumatic, chemical, noise or ergonomic hazards? | Risk assessment covering the actual machine, product, modes and tasks. |
| Safeguarding | Can access be prevented, or hazardous movement stopped before a person reaches the danger zone? | Guard layout, interlock and safety-function specification, validation and inspection requirements. |
| Emergency stopping | Which equipment must stop, what energy remains and how is restart prevented? | Line stop philosophy, device locations, reset sequence and validation record. |
| Isolation and stored energy | How are electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic, thermal, gravity and product pressure made safe? | Isolation points, procedures, locks, discharge or support methods and training. |
| Access and intervention | How are reels, caps, product, labels, change parts and waste handled without entering a hazard zone? | Layout, platforms, lifting aids, access doors, safe modes and work instructions. |
| Information and competence | What instructions, drawings, training and maintenance records are needed? | Technical file or supply documents as applicable, user manual, training and site procedures. |
When machines are connected, gaps between guards, transfer openings, conveyor access and shared emergency stops must be assessed as one working area. Define safety boundaries and the response when a guard opens or an emergency stop is pressed. A standard run/fault signal is not a safety function. Safety-related signals, devices and control architecture require the appropriate design and validation by competent people.
Design out frequent blockages where possible. For credible jams, provide a safe method to stop, isolate or use an appropriately controlled mode, remove affected product and confirm the area is clear before restart. Do not rely on operators reaching through a transfer opening or defeating a sensor to keep production moving.
Fault messages should identify the affected zone without encouraging unsafe access. Restart should require the intended reset and should not create unexpected movement in another part of the line.
In the UK, PUWER places duties on people and organisations that own, operate or control work equipment. The HSE PUWER overview is an authoritative starting point for suitability, maintenance, inspection, training and protection against dangerous parts. A conformity mark or declaration does not remove the employer’s responsibility to ensure the installed equipment is suitable and safe for the actual use.
Record inspections, maintenance and modifications. A change to guarding, controls, speed, product, feeder or line connection may introduce new risk and can affect the original assessment or supply responsibilities. Review changes before implementation and retain authorised software and drawing revisions.
Provide current product safety information and identify flammable liquids, combustible dust, corrosive material, hot fill, pressure, steam, allergens or cleaning chemicals. Hazardous-area classification, extraction, materials, electrical equipment and operating procedures require competent assessment. Do not infer ATEX suitability from stainless construction or a machine category page.
Important: This page provides general project-planning guidance. The machinery, completed line and workplace require competent assessment against the current legal and technical requirements that apply to the specific supply and use.
Include guard clearances, isolators, access and safe utility connection in the layout.
Plan safe access, isolation, inspection, records and controlled return to service.
Coordinate safety boundaries, stops and transfer interfaces across the complete line.
It is part of product-supply compliance where applicable, but the employer must still ensure the work equipment and completed installation are suitable and safe for the actual use. Interfaces and modifications need their own review.
No. Emergency stopping is a complementary protective measure. Access to dangerous parts should be prevented or hazardous movement stopped before a person reaches the danger zone using the appropriate safeguarding strategy.
The project must assign responsibility for the completed assembly and interfaces. Each supplier’s scope should be clear, and the integrator or other responsible party should assess the combined mechanical, controls and safeguarding risks.
Only where a competent risk assessment and designed safe mode provide an appropriate method. Routine reach-in or bypass should not be accepted as the production recovery process.
Use current GOV.UK and Health and Safety Executive sources for product supply and safe use, then obtain competent advice for the specific machinery, market and workplace.
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