ANSI B11.26-2024 has been recently updated and includes critical technical requirements for implementing safety-related control functions (also known as “functional safety”) related to electrical, electronic, pneumatic, hydraulic, and mechanical components of control systems.

ANSI B11.26 is a critical technical safety standard for machinery. It establishes technical requirements for protecting workers from hazardous machine motion and inadvertent machine actuation. By emphasizing risk assessment and implementing safety functions and technology, the standard sets technical standards to prevent serious injuries and keep workers safe. It also outlines clear guidelines for designing machine control systems that protect workers from operator errors caused by the failure of machine components.

This comprehensive safety standard, applicable across electrical, electronic, pneumatic, hydraulic, and mechanical systems, enhances machinery safety and drives increased productivity, efficiency, and profitability by minimizing errors, downtime, and material waste. Ultimately, ANSI B11.26 provides a standardized framework that fosters consistency and best practices, aiding in legal and regulatory compliance and establishing a shared responsibility for safety among equipment suppliers, users, and operators.

• Focus on Functional Safety:
  • ANSI B11.26 is about ensuring the reliability of machine controls and safety functions. This reduces the risk of serious injuries to workers from industrial machines.
• Risk Reduction:
  • The standard emphasizes the importance of risk assessment. Functional safety systems are implemented to reduce identified risks to acceptable levels.
• Shared Responsibility:
  • Safety is a shared responsibility among equipment suppliers, modifiers, users, and operators.
• Control Reliability:
  • “Control reliability” is a core concept, meaning the safety systems maintain safety even if components fail.
  • This is achieved through redundancy and monitoring, which ensure that a single failure does not result in a loss of safety function.
  • Failures must be detectable, and the system must initiate a safe state (e.g., an immediate stop) when a failure occurs.
• Application Across Technologies:
  • The standard is widely relevant because it applies to electrical, electronic, pneumatic, hydraulic, and mechanical control systems.

• Enhanced Safety:
  • The primary goal is to protect operators from hazardous machine motion and situations. This is crucial for preventing injuries and fatalities in industrial settings.
• Increased Productivity and Efficiency:
  • Reliable safety systems reduce worker injuries due to errors and prevent downtime, leading to increased productivity and efficiency.
• Reduced Waste:
  • Improved control minimizes material waste and rework.
• Improved Profitability:
  • By reducing errors, downtime, and accidents, businesses can improve their bottom line and reduce the risk of negative publicity from worker injuries.
• Standardization:
  • ANSI B11.26 provides a standardized approach to functional safety, ensuring consistency and best practices across industries.
• Legal and Regulatory Compliance:
  • Adhering to ANSI standards can help companies meet legal and regulatory requirements related to workplace safety.

ANSI B11.26 is a critical safety standard for designing, implementing, or operating machine safety systems. It promotes a proactive approach to safety, ensuring that machines comply with current safety standards and prevent serious injuries due to various factors, including worker errors.

Our experienced safety engineers are experts in determining compliance with regulatory requirements, such as ANSI B11.26

Safety Services:

• Contact Machine Safety Specialists to perform a verification (engineering review) of the safety control system to determine if your machine complies with ANSI B11.26.
• Contact Machine Safety Specialists to perform independent Validation services to ensure your machine is built and operates in compliance with ANSI B11.26.

Opportunities for Machine Safety Technical Training:

• Learn more about the latest machine safety standards and risk assessment methods
• Learn more about Advanced Functional Safety and Control Reliability: