Safety engineered into the complete robot cell.
Robot safety is an application-level responsibility. We consider the robot, tooling, product, fixtures, surrounding machinery, access, maintenance tasks and all operating modes when defining the safeguarding concept.
Safeguarding follows the hazards and required access.
The safety concept is developed from the risk assessment rather than selected as an accessory at the end of the project. The required separation, stopping performance and access controls depend on the motion, tooling, product, environment and tasks people must perform.
A cell may use fixed guards, interlocked doors, light curtains, laser scanners, safe-speed functions or a combination. The final arrangement must also consider restart prevention, fault recovery, teaching, maintenance and clearing product jams.
- Hazard identification for every operating mode
- Safe access for loading, changeover and maintenance
- Safety-related control-system design
- Stopping-time and separation-distance considerations
- Validation and documented test results
- Operator information, training and handover
Collaborative operation is a property of the application, not just the arm.
Collaborative modes can be appropriate where the process, tool, workpiece and speed allow risks to be reduced to an acceptable level. Sharp tools, heavy products, hot surfaces or trapping points may still require physical separation even when a collaborative robot is used.
The assessment should cover foreseeable contact, body regions, robot and payload inertia, crushing and trapping, unexpected movement, loss of grip and interaction with adjacent equipment.
- Power and force limiting
- Speed and separation monitoring
- Hand guiding where appropriate
- Safety-rated monitored stop
- Tool and workpiece hazards
- Application-specific validation
Documentation and conformity are part of the delivered system.
For UK projects, the integrated machinery must be assessed against the applicable legal and technical requirements for the destination market. The exact marking and documentation route depends on the system, supply arrangement and where it will be placed on the market or put into service.
We build the required safety design, verification, instructions and technical documentation into the project scope. Current editions of relevant standards and official UK guidance should be confirmed for each project.
- Risk assessment and safety requirements specification
- Electrical and pneumatic safety design
- Guarding drawings and access strategy
- Verification and validation records
- Operating and maintenance information
- Conformity and handover documentation
Check current official safety and conformity guidance.
This page provides planning guidance, not a project-specific risk assessment. Confirm current legislation, designated standards and editions for the actual machine and destination market.
Frequently asked questions
These answers provide an initial planning framework. Final requirements are confirmed against the product, process, site and applicable safety obligations.
Are collaborative robots automatically safe?
No. The complete application must be risk assessed. The tool, product, speed, force, trapping points and surrounding equipment can create hazards even when the arm has collaborative functions.
What guarding can a robot cell use?
Options include fixed perimeter guards, interlocked access doors, light curtains, laser scanners, pressure-sensitive devices and safety-rated robot functions. The selection follows the risk assessment and required access.
Who is responsible for robot cell conformity?
Responsibility depends on the commercial and technical supply arrangement. It must be agreed clearly at project definition, including who integrates the final machine, compiles technical documentation and signs the declaration.
Which standards apply to industrial robot cells?
Robot and robot-cell projects commonly refer to the current editions of BS EN ISO 10218 and related machinery-safety standards. The applicable set must be determined for the actual machine and destination market.
Continue planning your automation project
Use these pages to compare approaches, define the application and prepare the information needed for a useful feasibility review.
How to choose an industrial robot
A practical selection framework covering payload, work envelope, cycle, safety and interfaces.
Read more →Robot automation cost
Understand whole-cell cost drivers before comparing project quotations.
Read more →Discuss your application
Send product, process and output information for an initial engineering review.
Read more →UK industrial robot safety standards
Review ISO 10218:2025, PUWER and machinery safety workstreams.
Explore →Robot cell layout design
Coordinate guarding, access, flow, recovery and maintenance.
Explore →Discuss the production task with an automation engineer.
Send the product details, required output, available space and a photo or short video of the current process. We will review the application and identify the next engineering step.