SAFETY · COMPLIANCE · INTEGRATION
Standards, responsibilities and checks for mobile robots, industrial arms, collaborative applications and service robots. An informational guide with official references, not a certificate of conformity.
REGULATORY REFERENCES REVIEWED · 17 OCTOBER 2026
01 / LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK
European framework for essential health and safety requirements for machinery placed on the market during its period of application. The CE marking on a component does not replace assessment of the final machine or assembly.
Official EUR-Lex text ↗New European framework replacing the Machinery Directive. Some provisions apply earlier: check transitional rules and the date of placing the machinery on the market.
Official consolidated text ↗Employers must select suitable, compliant equipment, assess the risks of its use and ensure appropriate operation, training and maintenance. Articles 70 and 71 are particularly relevant, alongside the workplace risk assessment.
Normattiva — current legislation ↗02 / TECHNICAL STANDARDS
The choice depends on intended use, machine classification and the integrated system. Not every standard applies to every robot.
Risk assessment and reduction in machinery design: hazards, estimation, protective measures and documentation.
Profile ISO ↗Part 1 concerns industrial robots; Part 2 concerns integrated applications and cells, including design, commissioning, use and maintenance.
ISO 10218-2 ↗Technical specification for industrial collaborative applications. Read it alongside the updated ISO 10218, checking its current status and applicability.
Profile ISO ↗Requirements and verification for driverless industrial trucks and their systems, including certain AGV and AMR. A revision is under development: check its current status.
Profile ISO ↗Covers specific categories of personal care robots. It is not a general standard for every service, medical or industrial robot.
Profile ISO ↗References to consider for safety-related parts of control systems, depending on the machine architecture and requirements.
Search and profiles ISO ↗Technical standards are not automatically mandatory in every situation: any presumption of conformity also depends on publication of harmonised references and their scope. Consult the full standards and verify their current status for each project.
03 / TWO PRACTICAL APPROACHES
Risk depends on the gripper, workpiece, speed, trajectories, crushing points, maintenance procedures and operator access. The arm manufacturer's declaration does not replace verification of the integrated cell.
Documents to request: instructions, relevant declarations, safety-function diagrams, risk assessment of the complete system, testing and training.
Check stopping functions, obstacles, mixed traffic, widths, speeds, loading zones, intersections and fault handling. Route replanning alone does not demonstrate system safety.
Documents to request: declared operating conditions, validated layout, risk assessment, protective-device checks, instructions and maintenance plan.
04 / PRELIMINARY CHECKLIST
Indicative checklist, not a declaration of conformity. It assigns no scores and does not save selections on the server.
Request a technical assessment ↗