What is the difference between EN 62061 and EN ISO 13849-1?

[Anonymous user]

"EN 62061 and EN ISO 13849-1 both deal with the functional safety of machine control systems, but they use slightly different terms and techniques to determine performance. Many users are confused by conflicting guidance from suppliers, who may prefer one standard over another.

It is not ideal to have two standards for designers to choose from. This can lead to integration issues between components and can affect relationships between manufacturers, machine builders and end users. However, the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC) and the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) both have clear ideas of how to regulate functional safety when building machines. As such, both have set out standards that can provide a presumption of conformity to the relevant Machinery Directive requirements.

Both EN 62061 (published by the CENELEC) and EN ISO 13849-1 (published by the CEN) have the same objective: to de-emphasize the behavior of individual components and to focus instead on the functional safety of the overall machine. Both standards are intended to reduce the possibility of injury; used correctly, they often reduce the likelihood of machine failure.
While these standards can provide similar risk reduction levels, they achieve that goal in very different ways.

The standards use different terms for circuit functional safety levels: EN 62061 defines three Safety Integrity Levels (SILs), whereas EN ISO 13849-1 specifies five Performance Levels (PLs). Despite these differences in terminology, some requirements (such as the probability of dangerous failure per hour) are simple to compare. The standards take
different approaches, however. Both EN 62061 and EN ISO 13849-1 have strengths and weaknesses, and
there is an argument for and against using either one, depending on the application and manufacturer’s individual preferences. Unless a machine specific type-C standard specifies a SIL or PL, designers are free to choose which standard to use. Whatever the standard, however, it must be used in its entirety and the two cannot be mixed in a single system."

TeSys range also includes all of the isolation, protection, switching and control (contactors...) and emergency handling components (circuit breakers and switches with an emergency kill handle, enclosed starters, etc.) you need to comply with the EN 60204-1 and the EN ISO 13850 standards. 

You may find more detailed information from the attached leaflet about Machines Safety.

[BJacqz · Accepted solution]

Hello Wei Li,

I guess you are from SE, in this case you have access to MLL.

In this tool, there is a course dedicaded on Safety safety asessment, the topic you mention is explained in this course. If I can make a summary, both are saying the same or equivalent things but the way to analyse is a little different, One is giving risk on SIL level and the other one is giving the risk with a PL estimation, all is exaplained in this course available Here : Course Code: INDPRDDS0001088