Arc flash hazards can result from many factors, such as improper work procedures, dropped tools, accidental contact with electrical systems, build-up of dust and corrosion.

Risk reduction is the phase that concludes the efforts made during all stages of risk analysis and assessment: it’s the phase where dangerous phenomena are acted upon directly and concretely.

The Regulation respecting occupational health and safety (RSST) sets out the minimum requirements for ensuring the health and safety of workers. More specifically, Division XXI of the Regulation concerns the safety of machines used in establishments in Québec. The primary objective of the amendments that will be made is to protect the health and safety of workers using these machines.
Everyone, from machine manufacturers and those who supply them to operators and those who offer services related to machine safety, is affected by the regulatory changes.

Once installed at the buyer’s site, the machine finds itself in a different context from that of design or manufacture. It will be confronted with constraints that were not necessarily present in the factory. That being said, the validation done during the Factory Acceptance Tests (FATs), even if very well done, must still be verified at the buyer’s site in the final operating environment of the machine. Furthermore, during transportation and implementation, functionalities can be affected, and the level of safety foreseen in the design or after manufacturing must still be challenged to ensure that it has not been compromised.

The Pre-Start Safety Report (PSSR) is the last step in the process of examining the safety of a machine before it is finally put into operation. Although it must be preceded by a Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) and a Site Acceptance Test (SAT), it is essential that the importance of this last step is understood, and that the necessary resources and time are devoted to it.

According to the CNESST, occupational injuries attributable to machines represent approximately 4.5% of injuries in Québec. Despite the observed decrease in the number of injuries since the implementation of the machine safety action plan in 2005, an upward trend has resurfaced since 2016. Moreover, the draft regulation amending the Regulation respecting occupational health and safety (S-2.1, r. 13) with respect to the safety of machines is intended, among other things, to establish the essential safety requirements related to design and manufacture. The objective is to intervene as early as possible in the design and manufacturing process to ensure a high level of intrinsic safety and to eliminate as much risk as possible before the machine is installed, and workers are exposed to hazards related to its use.

The International Standardisation Organisation (ISO) sets standards in all areas of industry. ISO 13849-1 Safety of machinery – Safety-related parts of control systems – Part 1: General principles for design, is the benchmark for control system design. In 2023, ISO published a new version of the standard. Our team is always at the forefront of the latest advances in machine and workplace safety.

The risk analysis and reduction process is the subject of several standards, including Canadian CSA Z432 and international ISO 12100. It is generally the same, whatever the field of application.