Safety first!
Article#: 00042
Date: 2020-12-03
Author: Radim
The safety of people, environment and equipment must always be taken into account and guaranteed.
When collecting requirements, ask about all possible dangers and define the necessary safety measures.
Anyone who works on or works with the system must be aware of the permitted activities, possible dangers and must follow the safety instructions.
The implementation of safety components and functions should be carried out and tested first.
When developing and testing the functionality of the system, you will be happy when you can rely on safety.
In this way, safety is also checked during the development and testing of the system functionality.
In any case, especially during development, testing and commissioning, the potential dangers must be carefully weighed and negative consequences avoided before each step and every action.
Because of all safety measures, development is slower and more expensive.
However, investing in safety is a must!
"If you think safety is expensive, try having an accident." - Stelios Haji-Ioannou
© Radim-Automation, 2020–2025. All rights reserved.
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Comment#: 00001
Date: 2020-12-08
User: Radim
"My definition of an expert in any field is a person who knows enough about what's really going on to be scared."
- P.J.Plauger
Comment#: 00002
Date: 2021-06-02
User: Radim
Do not live under the illusion that everything is fine! Carry out a detailed risk analysis, minimize the risks and test the safety measures. Otherwise you will only notice the safety deficiencies and problems after an accident!
Comment#: 00003
Date: 2021-06-28
User: Radim
The emergency stop concept must be designed and implemented in such a way that the machine can be restarted quickly and easily after pressing the emergency stop button.
Pressing the emergency stop button must not put the machine in a difficult situation so that the operator is not afraid to use the emergency button if necessary.
Comment#: 00004
Date: 2023-04-10
User: Radim
Special care should be taken before setting a breakpoint in a program on a real machine. Especially if the program is responsible for controlling and stopping drives and processes.
Hitting a breakpoint stops the entire application running on the target system. However, the states of the outputs of I/O modules remain unchanged!
Running drives and started processes are not stopped and keep running when the application stops at a breakpoint. And no one has control over them anymore!
In a properly designed system, an independent safety function must stop running drives and processes at the latest before a collision occurs.
Comment#: 00006
Date: 2024-02-14
User: Radim
Benefits and risks of software updates via remote access to customer machines
In today's agile world, quick and easy software updates are essential for maintaining technologies and systems. However, the transition from manual installation of updates to remote access raises an important discussion about the risks and benefits of this approach.
Technical feasibility and tools:
The technical aspect is not an obstacle. With today's concepts and tools, the application software can be updated on remote machines at the customer's premises.
Risks:
However, the main concerns relate to the risks associated with this procedure. There is a possibility that the installation of the new software version may cause unexpected problems that can have serious consequences. The machine may no longer be able to be started and may even no longer be accessible remotely. A specialist then has to travel to the customer. This can take up to several days and leads to expensive production downtime for the customer.
Benefits:
Conversely, remote software updates have many advantages. Customers do not have to wait for a technician to be present, which saves time and travel costs. In addition, the rapid availability of updates can improve overall customer satisfaction and increase efficiency.
Solution:
To minimize the risks associated with remote updates, clear rules and procedures must be established. These include thorough testing of updates prior to deployment, detailed data backup and recovery plans and adequate training of customer personnel.