Today we will talk about the UNE EN ISO 14122 standard, known to everyone who is directly or indirectly involved in occupational health and safety, whether manufacturers, distributors, architects and engineers, or safety technicians.
What Is the UNE EN ISO 14122 Standard?
The UNE EN ISO 1412 standard is an international standard accepted and approved by the European Union, consisting of four parts:
- Part 1: Selection of fixed means of access and general access requirements.
- Part 2: Working platforms and walkways.
- Part 3: Stairs, stepladders and guardrails.
- Part 4: Fixed ladders
This international standard is a type-B standard as established in ISO 12100.
It is important to remember that for machines that fall within the scope of a type-C standard and have been designed and built in accordance with its requirements, the requirements of that standard take precedence over those of a type-A or type-B standard.
The purpose of the UNE EN ISO 14122 standard is to define the general requirements for safe access to machinery, as well as the proper selection of such means of access when access to the machine is necessary and cannot be made directly from base level, a floor, or a platform.
Application of the UNE EN ISO 14122 Standard
This standard applies to permanent means of access that form an integral part of a fixed machine, as well as to non-motorized adjustable parts (folding, sliding, etc.) and to the moving parts of fixed means of access.
The UNE EN ISO 14122 standard also applies when the same means of access are required as part of the building or civil construction in which the machine is installed, such as work platforms, walkways, ladders, etc., provided that the main function of that part of the building is to provide a means of access.
When to Turn to the UNE EN ISO 14122 Standard?
We should be guided by it when use of the work equipment requires one or more workers to be present on it and, in particular, in areas with a risk of falling from a height of more than 2 meters, with the aim of establishing and designing both the means of access and the area where workers stay.
As a general rule, manufacturers of work equipment, whether machines themselves or installations, should include the means of access when designing and make them an integral part of the equipment, but in many cases this is not so and we find machines without means of access.
For example, it is common to find bucket conveyors with the motor located at the top, and nobody remembers that at some point in the motor’s life cycle it may break, fail, or need to be inspected. It is only then that we realize the manufacturer did not provide the necessary means of access to that motor, and work platforms and fixed ladders have to be installed afterward in order to reach the motor safely.
Specifications of the UNE EN ISO 14122 Standard
The standards in the UNE–EN ISO 14122 series give us the criteria for selecting fixed means of access between two levels, as well as the characteristics of those means.
For example, clause 4.2.4.5.1 of UNE-EN ISO 14122-2 gives various values for the dimensions of the floor openings of machine work platforms, depending on the results of the risk assessment, and also specifies that if, in view of those results, it is concluded that the hazards from objects or other materials falling or passing through the floor are more significant than those of slipping, falling, etc., the floor should have no openings. This criterion could be applicable to work equipment in general.
For access to the different work levels, UNE-EN ISO 14122-1 gives the order of preference for choosing the means of access to elevated workstations, which is:
- direct access from ground level, from a floor, or from a platform;
- a ramp or a stair;
- stepladders or fixed ladders.
In short, knowledge of the standards in the UNE–EN ISO 14122 series will give us a wealth of solutions to the problems we will face day to day in accessing work equipment, always while guaranteeing people’s safety.