Glossary of industrial safety terms 

The European legislation setting the essential health and safety requirements for machinery and products placed on the market in the EU. It governs how machines and products must be designed, protected, assessed and documented.

The framework is transitioning from the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC to the new Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230, which becomes effective on 20 January 2027. The most significant shift is structural: as a Regulation rather than a Directive, it applies directly in all EU Member States with no national transposition needed, providing more uniform requirements across the EU. Beyond this, connected machinery must withstand reasonably foreseeable malicious interference, including unauthorised access or tampering, where this could affect its safe operation or lead to a hazardous situation. Instructions may be provided digitally, with paper copies supplied on request, and the Declaration of Conformity may be made available digitally. Six Part A categories require third-party conformity assessment, including two new categories covering machine-learning systems that perform safety functions.

How Troax has adapted: Troax products are already designed and documented to meet both Directive 2006/42/EC and the new Regulation. Selected panels are independently TÜV type approved: our Smart Fix machine guarding (ST20 and ST30 mesh panels) is impact-tested to 2,100 joules in accordance with EN ISO 14120. Guard systems are designed to EN ISO 13857 and EN ISO 14120, harmonised standards that carry a presumption of conformity with the Essential Health and Safety Requirements in Annex III.

In line with EN ISO 12100, machine guards should be selected and designed based on the machine’s risk assessment, so the guarding solution is suitable for the specific hazards and operating conditions, our team can help you select the right guards for your application. Troax products are supplied as components, and become machine guards that should be CE-marked once assembled on site together with the machine they protect. We provide a Declaration of Conformity, with reference to the new Regulation ahead of its application on 20 January 2027.

CE marking (from the French “Conformité Européenne”, meaning “European Conformity”) is a manufacturer’s declaration that a product complies with essential EU health, safety, and environmental protection legislation, allowing it to be sold and moved freely throughout the European Economic Area. For machinery, CE marking follows risk assessment, the application of harmonised standards and the compilation of a technical file and declaration of conformity.

An International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) standard, adopted as a European Norm (EN), covers the design and construction of both fixed and movable guards, used to protect people from machinery hazards.

International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard, adopted as a European Norm (EN). It covers the safety distances to prevent the upper and lower limbs from reaching hazard zones. It enables organisation to conduct effective risk assessments by providing precise safety distance values, ensuring better protection against machinery hazards.

International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) standard, adopted as a European Norm (EN). It covers the positioning of safeguards relative to the human body’s approach speed.

International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) standard, adopted as a European Norm (EN). It covers the design of safety-related parts of control systems, using Performance Levels (PL) to rate how reliably a safety function performs.

International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standard. It covers the functional safety of safety-related electrical control systems on machinery, using Safety Integrity Levels (SIL). It is the electrical/control counterpart to EN ISO 13849.

International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) standard. It covers the general principles of machinery risk assessment and risk reduction, as well as the foundation standard underpinning machine safety.

International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) standard. It covers safety requirements for the integration of industrial robots and robot systems (the application/cell side of robot safety).

International Organisation for Standardisation technical specification (TS). It covers safety requirements for collaborative robots (cobots) working alongside people.

European Norm (EN) that covers the hygiene requirements for the design of food-processing machinery.

International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) standard, adopted as a European Norm (EN). It covers hygiene requirements in the design of machinery.

SBSC stands for Svenska Brand- och Säkerhetscertifiering (Swedish Fire and Security Certification) — a Swedish certification body that certifies products, companies and personnel in the fire safety and security field.

Risk assessment is a series of logical steps to enable, in a systematic way, the analysis and evaluation of the risks associated with machinery. Risk assessment is followed by risk reduction. This process may be necessary to eliminate hazards as far as practicable and to adequately reduce risks through the implementation of protective measures.

The CE technical file (or technical documentation) is a comprehensive collection of documents that proves a product complies with all applicable EU directives and regulations. Manufacturers must compile and maintain this file before affixing the CE mark and placing their product on the European market. This documentation supports a Declaration of Conformity, showing how a machine meets its legal requirements. It typically includes the risk assessment, design records, test evidence and the standards applied.

Physical barrier, designed as part of the machine, to provide protection. Most often mesh panels, that separate people from the moving or hazardous parts of machinery. Machine guarding keeps operators at a safe distance while allowing the machine to run and is a core requirement of machinery safety legislation.

Guards affixed in such a manner that it can only be opened or removed by the use of tools or by destruction of the means by which the guard is affixed.

When it is foreseen that the fixed guard will be removed, the fastenings shall remain attached to the guard or the machinery so they cannot be lost or left out during reassembly. Captive, tool-operated fixings support compliant, repeatable maintenance access.

The minimum distance from a hazard at which a protective structure must be placed. Mesh aperture and guard positioning are calculated to satisfy the reach-distance requirements set out in the relevant standards.

Functional safety is the part of overall system safety that ensures automatic protection systems operate correctly in response to faults or failures. For example, a safety interlock device stopping a machine when a gate or guard opens. Functional safety is assessed against standards such as EN ISO 13849 and IEC 62061.

An assembly of devices and/or components working together for protective tripping or presence-sensing purposes. A safety device that projects a row of infrared beams across an opening, such as the entry to a machine or cell. When a beam is broken, by a hand, body or object, the device signals the machine to stop. Light curtains or beams guard access points where a physical gate would slow the work and are used alongside fixed machine guarding to protect persons.

The steel structure used to store goods on pallets at height in warehouses and distribution centres. Its safety depends on protecting the uprights from impact and securing the loads it holds.

A mesh screen fitted to the rear of pallet racking to stop goods falling out of the rack into aisles or onto people below. Rated by the impact energy it can absorb, measured in joules.

Rack protection is the set of systems that keep a loaded rack safe to store from and safe to work beside. It works on two fronts. The first is preventing goods from falling out of the rack: anti-collapse mesh closes the back and sides of the racking so a dislodged pallet or carton can’t drop into the aisle or onto the people below. The second is fall protection within the rack: mesh decks catch anything that could fall through a level, while dividers keep goods separated and picking accurate.

Wire mesh shelf panels that sit on racking beams to support pallets or loose goods. The open structure allows sprinkler water through, supporting fire-suppression compliance.

ESFR stands for Early Suppression, Fast Response. It is type of sprinkler system designed to control warehouse fires quickly. Open- mesh shelving and decking support ESFR performance by allowing water reach the goods below.

A physical barrier that separates people, vehicles and infrastructure to prevent collisions and impact damage. Modern barriers are often made from flexible polymer that absorbs impact and returns to shape.

A system designed to segregate pedestrians from vehicle traffic, physically separating people from moving equipment. Unlike an impact barrier, its primary role is to direct and protect pedestrian movement rather than to absorb vehicle impact.

An impact barrier made from flexible polyethylene rather than rigid steel. During an impact, polyethylene undergoes elastic deformation, absorbing the applied force to reduce the stress transmitted to the concrete floor. Once the impact ends, the barrier returns to its original shape, reducing the pressure transferred to the fixings and floor and helping limit damage.

A measure of how much impact energy a barrier or mesh panel can absorb, expressed in joules (J). A higher joule rating indicates resistance to a heavier or faster impact.

A short, sturdy post used to guard a specific point, corner or opening from vehicle impact, or to channel traffic away from a vulnerable area.

The physical separation of people on foot from vehicle traffic, designated walkways defined by guardrails and gates to keep the two apart and channel movement along safe routes.

PAS stands for “Publicly Available Specification”. It is a code of practice published by the British Standards Institution (BSI) that sets out test methods and guidance for workplace safety barriers, helping buyers consistently and specify barrier performance consistently.

Automated Guided Vehicle. A driverless vehicle that follows fixed, predefined routes around a facility, typically guided by wires, magnets, tape or markers. It moves goods along set paths and stops or reroutes when its sensors detect an obstacle.

Autonomous Mobile Robot. A self-navigating robot used to move goods around a warehouse or plant without fixed guidance. Shared AMR and pedestrian environments rely on detection and clear separation.

Technology that detects when vehicles, or vehicles and pedestrians, are on a converging path and warns those at risk in time to react. It covers the shared spaces where physical barriers cannot reach.

A system that senses when a person or object comes within a defined distance of a vehicle and triggers an alert. Often based on tags, sensors or AI cameras.

A detection system that warns forklift or vehicle drivers when a pedestrian is nearby, and alerts the pedestrian in turn, reducing the risk of collision in shared areas.

The control of vehicle and pedestrian movement within a facility using gates, crossings, signals and detection, keeping flow safe and efficient at the points where paths cross.

An area a driver or operator cannot see directly. Mirrors, detection and traffic controls are used to cover blind spots at corners, junctions and aisle ends.

The practice of sealing the airflow path between server racks so hot and cold air do not mix. Containment improves cooling efficiency and is delivered as hot aisle containment (HAC) or cold aisle containment (CAC).

An enclosure that captures the hot exhaust air behind server racks and channels it back to the cooling system through the buildings hot air plenum, keeping it separate from the cold supply air.

An enclosure that contains the cold supply air in the aisle at the front of server racks, ensuring it is drawn through the equipment rather than escaping into the room and mixing with the hot air.

The area of a data centre where IT equipment, the server racks and their supporting infrastructure are housed. Its layout, security and airflow are central to the facility’s performance.

A data centre model in which multiple customers house their equipment in a shared facility. Each tenant’s space is physically segregated, often by a secure mesh colocation cage.

PUE stands for Power Usage Effectiveness. It measures how efficiently a data centre uses energy, by comparing total facility power to the power delivered to IT equipment. Effective airflow containment helps lower PUE.

A very large data centre operated at massive scale, typically by a major cloud or internet company. Hyperscale facilities prioritise density, efficiency and rapid, repeatable expansion.

A grid of steel wires welded at their intersections, used to make guards, partitions, cages and shelving. Its open structure combines strength and visibility with airflow and light.

Steel coated with zinc to resist corrosion. Galvanised finishes suit humid, wet or steam-laden environments where painted or powder-coated finishes would degrade.

A durable, dry paint finish applied electrostatically and cured with heat. It gives mesh products a hard-wearing, coloured surface for most indoor industrial environments.

A globally recognised independent testing and certification body. When TÜV Rheinland verifies a product, it confirms that the product genuinely meets defined safety and quality standards, which are tested and verified by a third party rather than simply claimed by the manufacturer. This provides independent evidence behind a performance claim.

Modular mesh wall systems that divide a space into defined, secure areas, for storage, segregation or controlled access, without permanent construction, and reconfigure as layouts change.

The sudden flow of static electricity between two objects, like the small shock from touching a door handle. Harmless to people, but it can damage sensitive electronic components, so electronics production lines are specially designed to prevent it.

The line of contact between two rotating rolls on a calender, where paper is smoothed and finished. The nip is a high-risk in-running point that requires careful guarding.

Any point where two rotating parts, or a rotating part and the moving web, meet and draw inward. Nip points are among the most hazardous features of a paper machine and a primary focus of guarding.

The two halves of a paper machine. The wet end is where the fibre suspension is formed and pressed; the dry end is where the sheet is dried, calendered and reeled. Each presents different guarding conditions.

A large, heated drying cylinder used to dry tissue and some paper grades. Its high surface temperature and associated equipment required to keep guarding that keeps people clear of the hazards around it.

A boiler in a kraft pulp mill that recovers chemicals and energy from spent pulping liquor. The recovery area, including the boiler and lime kiln, requires firmly defined safety boundaries.

The upstream stage where incoming logs are received, debarked, chipped and conveyed before pulping. Its equipment, chippers, debarkers and conveyors, carries struck-by and crush hazards.

Machines that wind the finished paper onto reels and rewind it into smaller rolls. Heavy rotating loads and high web tension create in-running nip risks at every changeover.

The high-pressure cleaning of equipment and surfaces using water, often with chemical sanitisers. Wash-down environments demand corrosion-resistant materials that withstand repeated cleaning.

A way of classifying areas of a food or beverage facility by hygiene risk, commonly basic, medium and high. Each zone calls for materials and designs matched to its cleaning and contamination requirements.

Equipment and structures designed to avoid harbouring dirt, residue or bacteria, with surfaces and joints that drain and clean easily. Essential in food, beverage and pharmaceutical production.

Confirmation that a material is safe to use where it may contact food, meeting the relevant food-safety standards. A useful assurance for guarding and barriers near open product, where incidental contact can’t be ruled out.

INOX, from the French inoxydable, “non-oxidising”. A corrosion-resistant steel alloy suited to hygiene-critical and wash-down environments. It withstands aggressive cleaning and extreme temperatures without rusting.

The unbroken series of temperature-controlled environments that keep perishable goods safe from production to delivery. Cold and chilled stores require materials that perform at low temperatures.