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Modern machines often operate automatically, which increasingly removes humans from direct operation, but not from maintenance, adjustment and troubleshooting processes. It is precisely during these tasks that there is still a risk of people entering or remaining in hazard zones unnoticed.
The draft standard prEN ISO 12895:2024 specifically addresses this critical safety aspect: It describes criteria that manufacturers and operators can use to assess whether whole body access to a machine is possible and specifies the measures to be taken to control the resulting risks.
The standard thus closes a gap in the existing landscape of standards, which regulates access protection by means of safeguards but has so far only inadequately covered the special case of whole body access. This should therefore also be relevant for manufacturers of large machinery and equipment. For such objects, complete access is now regulated even more explicitly.
According to the publisher ISO, the international standard is still in the ‘Enquiry phase’. The current status ‘Close of Voting’ means that the international comment period for the draft standard ended on 24 April 2025. This draft standard was published in mid-April by Austrian Standards and DIN as a national document; the following content of this article therefore refers to this publication date.
Once the standard has been published by the ISO committees, it is expected to be implemented as a European standard in the near future. This edition will then be forwarded to the national institutes for publication.
Note on the presumption of conformity: According to CEN/CENELEC, prEN ISO 12895 is scheduled to be published in the EU Official Journal for the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC and for the new Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230!
2. Scope and objectives
The draft applies to machinery on which safeguards are intended to prevent access to hazardous areas. The standard specifies the minimum opening size and the geometric conditions under which whole body access is considered possible. Another focus is on determining whether there are zones within the protected area where persons cannot be detected by sensors or light barriers.
The standard is aimed at designers, safety specialists and operators who need to design their machines safely and demonstrate that they comply with the state of the art. Clear dimensional specifications, defined test steps and graduated protective measures create a uniform basis for assessment.
3. Overview of technical details
3.1 Determination of whole body access
The standard specifies that an opening of a certain size is considered suitable for whole body access. For example, round or square openings with a diameter greater than 240 mm or rectangular openings of a certain height and width allow a person to enter completely. The foreseeable behaviour of operating and maintenance personnel is taken into account.
Criteria are also specified for identifying blind spots inside the machine. If an area remains unobserved, a person could remain there undetected — a risk that should not be underestimated when restarting a machine.
3.2 Risk assessment and corrective measures
If the assessment shows that whole body access is possible, the standard requires effective protective measures. These range from purely design-based prevention through smaller openings or physical barriers to technical monitoring systems.
Particular emphasis is placed on presence-sensing: electro-sensitive protective equipment, additional sensors or closed-circuit television can ensure that persons in the hazard zone are detected.
Furthermore, it is planned that the restart of the machine will be technically secured in such a way that manual reset is required. As long as someone is in the safeguarded space, unintended start-up must be prevented.
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The draft standard provides companies with clear recommendations for action and avoids uncertainty as to whether and how whole body access must be taken into account. This is a considerable advantage, especially in complex systems with many access doors, maintenance openings and areas that are difficult to see.
For designers, the standard means planning and legal certainty: they can refer to clearly defined parameters and avoid costly reworking during subsequent operation. Operators benefit from improved occupational safety, as the likelihood of accidents caused by trapped persons or unexpected start-up is minimised.
Lastly, consistent implementation of these requirements facilitates verification in the event of an inspection by the authorities or an accident.
5. Significance in the context of machine safety
prEN ISO 12895:2024 supplements existing safety standards such as EN ISO 12100 (General principles for designing safe machinery) and EN ISO 13855 (Safeguards) and EN ISO 13857 (Safety distances). While these define basic principles and distances, the new standard bridges the gap to specific risks arising from the spatial conditions of complex installations.
The draft thus represents a further step towards preventing accidents, protecting maintenance personnel and meeting the high requirements for machine safety. The standard offers practical assistance, particularly for industries that use large machines such as conveyor systems, robot cells or production lines with protective fencing.
The draft standard prEN ISO 12895:2024 provides machine manufacturers and operators with a precise tool for minimising residual risk when accessing hazardous areas. Clear test methods, unambiguous measurements and recognised protective measures help to ensure the safety of people and machines — in line with proven engineering principles and legal requirements.
It pays to take these requirements into account at an early stage: it saves costs, protects human lives and enhances legal certainty — in line with good engineering practice and the tried-and-tested principle of ‘safety first’.
Information for Safexpert users
As soon as EN ISO 12895 has been finally published as an ÖNORM standard, the document will be included in the ‘Machine Safety Plus’ standards package as an important type-B safety standard.
Information on the documents contained therein can be found in the section ‘Additional products – Standards packages’.
Posted on: 2025-07-07
Has extensive professional experience in special machine construction, particularly in the areas of CE marking, technical documentation and risk assessment. Through his many years of experience as a CE coordinator, technical editor and team leader in technical documentation, he has acquired in-depth expertise in the application of the Machinery Directive (2006/42/EC). In addition, he has in-depth knowledge of product safety requirements and the legally compliant preparation of conformity documents. His expertise lies in the systematic analysis and implementation of legal requirements and in the practical transfer of this knowledge to specialists.
Email: michael.mersmann@ibf-solutions.com
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