On this page
- Buy the published EN ISO 14120:2015 edition
- What belongs in the guard assignment?
- Guard, interlock and control: three linked orders
- Useful questions for a guard supplier
- Consider normal work around the machine
- Example: enclosing a cutting station
- Document and licence checks
- Frequently asked questions
- Related guidance
- Explore more standards buying guides
Buy the published EN ISO 14120:2015 edition
What belongs in the guard assignment?
The public scope addresses design, construction and selection of fixed and movable guards protecting people from mechanical hazards. It excludes interlocking devices and special protective systems such as rollover or falling-object structures. Interlocking is addressed by the separate ISO 14119 subject area.
For procurement, identify the complete guard arrangement rather than ordering panels by dimensions alone. Describe access, cleaning, adjustment and servicing tasks, and ask the responsible designer how those tasks affect the assignment. The commercial product name “safety fence” does not define its evidence or boundaries.
Guard, interlock and control: three linked orders
| Package | Question to resolve |
|---|---|
| Guard structure | Which drawings, attachment arrangements and access features are included? |
| Interlocking device | Who selects it and checks its installation and foreseeable use? |
| Control response | Who specifies and assesses the safety function associated with access? |
| Whole machine | Who reviews the combined arrangement and remaining questions? |
Use the EN ISO 14119 publication record when identifying the separate interlocking reference. The table is an original responsibility map, not a statement that every guard requires the same device or control architecture.
Useful questions for a guard supplier
- Product identity: which panels, doors, fasteners and mounting details form the quoted arrangement?
- Design information: what machine drawings and access-task descriptions does the supplier need?
- Installation: which interfaces or site conditions are outside the supplier's control?
- Evidence: how will the supplied configuration be identified in drawings and review records?
- Alteration: who approves a new opening, relocated door or changed mounting after delivery?
Ask competing suppliers to answer the same questions. One quotation may supply stock panels; another may include application design and installation review. Comparing those offers by their square-metre price alone can hide substantial differences in the work.
Consider normal work around the machine
Prepare a task description with the people who operate, clean and maintain the equipment. Explain where tools and materials move, which parts need routine access and how work changes between production and maintenance. Give the designer an opportunity to identify missing information before the guard drawing is frozen.
Keep a change process for the installed arrangement. A later opening for a conveyor, a new cable route or a modified door can change the question the original evidence answered. Record the change and send it to the responsible reviewer instead of extending an earlier conclusion without explanation.
Example: enclosing a cutting station
A workshop orders a guard enclosure for a cutting station. The initial plan specifies panel sizes and a door, but omits the route for material handling and access for cleaning. The supplier prices only the physical enclosure.
The buyer brings production and maintenance representatives into the design discussion. The team describes the operating tasks and identifies who will select any interlock and assess the associated control response. The enclosure quotation is revised to state the supplied drawing, installation boundary and evidence. Purchasing orders EN ISO 14120 for the guard-design task and the additional documents identified by the engineer.
This fictional case illustrates why a useful guard order connects geometry to tasks and responsibilities. It does not prescribe a protective design or approve a particular opening.
Document and licence checks
Preserve the full reference used by the designer and the edition actually purchased. If the contract names a different national adoption or older publication, resolve the discrepancy before assuming that the latest catalogue record changes the assignment.
Check who needs licensed access: the designer, installer and review team may have different roles. Confirm permitted use with the seller rather than putting a single purchased copy in an unrestricted project folder.
Frequently asked questions
Does this purchase include interlocking requirements?
The public scope excludes interlocking devices. Identify the relevant interlocking and control documents separately for the proposed arrangement.
Can I select a guard from a supplier certificate alone?
Ask what product and application the evidence covers, then compare those boundaries with the actual order.
Is a successor draft a replacement for the published edition?
Genorma separates the published 2015 record from the project in development. A draft review needs its own purchasing purpose.
Related guidance
See the interlocking buying guide, machinery risk-assessment guide and machinery standards overview.
Explore more standards buying guides
Browse standards by reference and subject to compare related document choices.