Machinery safety: Pilz is expanding its international range of services - have a nice trip! US compliance for machinery

Pilz is expanding its international range of services in the field of machinery safety: in future Pilz will support companies worldwide who want to export machines to the USA or operate them there, in terms of the necessary compliance. Manufacturers and operators can ensure that their plant and machinery complies with the US requirements for machinery safety.

The export and/or commissioning of machinery in the US is subject to complex specifications that may vary depending on the state or territory. Pilz offers a relevant services package for compliance of machinery for the US market. What's special about that: Pilz customers worldwide have "their" contact with the relevant Pilz subsidiary in their home country. The local contact coordinates the whole project at a higher level and relies on the expertise of the acknowledged Pilz experts in the USA during implementation.

Full service from one provider

Specifically, Pilz creates all the documents that are required to have your machine certified by the local authorities. The Pilz experts will advise you as early as your machine’s design phase by assessing the design, particularly with regard to the special electrical US requirements. Pilz then performs all the required measures for its customers, from risk assessment to the LOTO system (for protection against hazardous energies) through to the validation report for US compliance – including coordination with the local authorities if required.

Complex specifications in the US

In the US there is a mix of product standards, fire protection regulations ("Fire Codes"), electrical directives and national laws that specify how to guarantee the issue of machinery safety. This applies to new, as well as used and modified or expanded machinery.

Anyone selling machinery to the USA as a manufacturer should ensure that all the specifications are considered in the design phase, so that later on at the machine's installation site, commissioning runs smoothly as regards the operating permit. In turn, machine operators in the USA are obligated to take corresponding precautions in the workplace to ensure that work on the machinery is safe. This includes among other things the creation of a LOTO system to safely control hazardous energies or the implementation of relevant protective measures.

"Passports" for machines worldwide

Even when the safety objective of a "safe workplace" is the same all over the world, different specifications and laws for plant and machinery safety apply from one region to another, sometimes from one country to another. Machinery that complies with the directives and standards of one country may not conform to the regulations of another. Exporters face complex compliance and legal issues whenever they import machinery from one country into another. On the other hand, operators such as multinational companies must meet the legal requirements of the relevant countries. With a team of over 300 experts in 42 subsidiaries, Pilz supports manufacturers, exporters and operators who export machines into various countries or operate them there, with the issue of compliance. By producing these "passports for machinery", Pilz makes it easier for companies to access international markets.