Equivalent hazard
If several hazards at a hazardous location produce the same level of risk and can be minimized in a similar way, they can be considered equivalent. It is not necessary to record the risk data for each of these hazards separately. Instead, the risk data of the hazard specified in the details apply to all equivalent hazards at this location.
Equivalent hazards refer to the need to treat different types of hazards that may occur during the operation or maintenance of a machine equally and ensure that the safety measures for each hazard level are adequate. This means that all potential hazards must be considered in the risk assessment and equivalent protective measures must be implemented to ensure the safety of people.
The standard requires that a suitable safety level be ensured for each hazard, regardless of its type, through safety functions. This includes mechanical, electrical, hydraulic and pneumatic hazards, as well as risks due to software errors or operator errors. The goal is to ensure the safety of machine operators and other people in the vicinity of the machine by controlling equivalent hazards with corresponding measures.