1. Determine the limits
What the machine is for, who uses it, in what space and for how long. This includes reasonably foreseeable misuse: what people will do even when they should not.
BLOG
ISO 12100: how a machine's risk is assessed before it is installed
Four steps to assess risk and three to reduce it: the method that separates a considered installation from an improvised one.
Machinery safety
Risk is analysed on paper, before anyone steps in
ISO 12100:2010 is the parent standard of machinery safety. It does not describe a particular machine: it describes the method by which any machine — a lift, a goods lift, an elevating platform — must be analysed before it is built or installed.
The underlying idea is simple and unromantic: accidents are not prevented with signs, they are prevented by removing the hazard at the design stage. If it cannot be removed, it is guarded. And only if risk still remains is the user informed. That order matters, and the standard makes it binding.
So an ISO 12100 certificate applied to lifts means something very concrete: that entrapment, free fall, electrical failure and crushing were each studied case by case, and that the measures taken were documented.
The method
Four steps to assess the risk
2. Identify the hazards
Mechanical, electrical, thermal, noise, ergonomic. And not only in normal operation: also during assembly, maintenance, cleaning and decommissioning.
3. Estimate the risk
The severity of the possible harm is weighed against the probability of it occurring, considering exposure and the real chance of avoiding it.
4. Evaluate the risk
Decide whether the risk is acceptable. If it is not, start again with new measures — and check that those measures have not created a new hazard.
The three steps to reduce risk, in this order
First, inherently safe design: remove the hazard. Keep moving parts out of people's reach, reduce forces, eliminate sharp edges. It is the only measure that cannot be defeated or forgotten.
Second, safeguarding and complementary protective measures: fixed guards, interlocks, emergency stop devices. They act where the hazard could not be removed, and they must survive daily use without inviting anyone to bypass them.
Third, information for use: signage, manuals, training. It comes last because it is the most fragile: it depends on someone reading, remembering and choosing to comply. When a company starts here, it has not actually reduced anything.
Frequently asked questions
How is it different from ISO 8100-1?+
ISO 12100 gives the general method for any machine. ISO 8100-1 gives the concrete requirements for a lift. They are used together: the method to analyse, the specific standard to define what gets installed.
Does it apply to a machine already installed?+
Yes. After a modification, a modernization or a change of use the assessment must be repeated, because the risk conditions change with the machine.
Who should carry out the assessment?+
Whoever is responsible for the design or the installation, using competent technical staff. The output is a document listing the hazards identified, the measures adopted and the residual risk.
Need a risk assessment of your lifting equipment?
We identify hazards, estimate the risk and hand you the report with the applicable risk reduction measures.
Other articles
What does it mean that your builder holds ISO 9001?
The badge does not build the house — the procedure behind it does. What the standard forces you to document and how to check a certificate is genuine.
ISO 8100-1:2019: the standard that decides whether a lift is safe
Safety gear, overspeed governor, doors and emergency lighting. What the international lift standard requires and what to check before signing a maintenance contract.
ISO 37001: why tenders ask you for an anti-bribery system
Supplier due diligence, a whistleblowing channel and rules on gifts. What controls the standard requires and what changes day to day on site.