Standards And Specifications; General Information; Aims; Functional Safety - Siemens Sinamics G120 Function Manual

A.4

Standards and specifications

A.4.1

General information

A.4.1.1

Aims

Manufacturers and operating companies of equipment, machines, and products are
responsible for ensuring the required level of safety. This means that plants, machines, and
other equipment must be designed to be as safe as possible in accordance with the current
state of the art. For this purpose, companies describe in the various standards the current state
of the art covering all aspects relevant to safety. If it can be justifiably assumed that all of the
relevant standards are complied with, this ensures that state-of-the-art technology has been
utilized and, in turn, a plant builder or a manufacturer of a machine or a piece of equipment
has fulfilled his appropriate responsibility.
Safety systems are designed to minimize potential hazards for both people and the
environment by means of suitable technical equipment, without restricting industrial production
and the use of machines more than is necessary. The protection of man and environment must
be assigned equal importance in all countries based on internationally harmonized rules and
regulations. This is also intended to avoid competitive advantages or disadvantages due to
different safety requirements in different countries.
There are different concepts and requirements in the various regions and countries of the world
when it comes to ensuring the appropriate degree of safety. The legislation and the
requirements of how and when proof is to be given and whether there is an adequate level of
safety are just as different as the assignment of responsibilities.
The most important thing for manufacturers of machines and companies that set up plants and
systems is that the legislation and regulations in the country where the machine or plant is
being operated apply. For example, the control system for a machine that is to be used in the
US must fulfill local US requirements even if the machine manufacturer (OEM) is based in the
European Economic Area (EEA).
A.4.1.2

Functional safety

Safety, from the perspective of the object to be protected, cannot be split-up. The causes of
hazards and, in turn, the technical measures to avoid them can vary significantly. This is why
a differentiation is made between different types of safety (e.g. by specifying the cause of
possible hazards). "Functional safety" is involved if safety depends on the correct function.
To ensure the functional safety of a machine or plant, the safety-related parts of the protection
and control devices must function correctly. In addition, the systems must behave in such a
way that either the plant remains in a safe state or it is brought into a safe state if a fault occurs.
In this case, it is necessary to use specially qualified technology that fulfills the requirements
described in the associated Standards. The requirements to implement functional safety are
based on the following basic goals:
● Avoiding systematic faults
● Controlling random faults or failures
Safety Integrated - SINAMICS G110M, G120, G120C, G120D and SIMATIC ET 200pro FC-2
Function Manual, 01/2017, FW V4.7 SP6, A5E34261271B AD
A.4 Standards and specifications
Appendix
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