Assessment of risks involving technical equipment and devices

Assessment of risks involving technical equipment and devices

The machinery directive obliges machine manufacturers to carry out a risk analysis and to reduce any risks. The use of the «Suva method for the assessment of risks involving technical equipment and devices»(The link will open in a new window)   represents one way of satisfying this requirement. This method is based on standards EN ISO 12100-1:2003 Safety of machinery – Basic concepts, general principles for design – Part 1: Basic terminology, methodology and EN ISO 14121-1:2007 Safety of machinery – Risk assessment – Part 1: Principles.

Suva provides an Internet application(The link will open in a new window)   and offers training seminars(The link will open in a new window)   for the implementation of this method.

The certification body will be pleased to provide information on risk assessment.

Internet application: Help

1. General remarks

This Internet application permits the use of Suva’s method for the assessment of risks in the workplace and while working (in brief: workplaces and working procedures) and Suva’s method for the assessment of risks posed by technical devices and equipment (in brief: Technical devices and equipment).
The corresponding method can be selected on the start page as well as the language top right: DE (German), FR (French) or IT (Italian); only for technical devices and equipment EN (English).
This help can be invoked on each page by using the “?” top right in the grey bar.
At the bottom of each page, there is an information field in which error messages and context-based information are displayed whenever required.

2. System requirements and navigation

The browser must accept both cookies and Javascript and it must not block pop-up windows as the application runs in a pop-up window. Within the application, you should only use the links and buttons available. You should not use the browser’s navigation buttons (forward and backward buttons).
You can jump from one page to the next either with a link in the left-hand navigation pane or with the “Back” or “Next” links (bottom right). The current page is displayed in red in the left-hand navigation pane.

3. Application

Create new risk assessment

First of all, enter your e-mail address on the start page. If your connection is interrupted, you will then be sent your saved data by e-mail (q.v. §5 Protection against data loss). Your e-mail address is saved in the *.suva file.
You can start a new risk assessment by selecting the desired method (“Workplaces and working procedures” or “Technical devices and equipment”) on the start page.

Open existing risk assessment

To do this, select and open the required *.suva file on the start page. If you are not sure whether the *.suva file selected contains an e-mail address or the correct e-mail address, enter your e-mail address before opening the file. If your connection is interrupted, you will be sent the data you have saved by e-mail (q.v. §5 Protection against data loss). The e-mail address is saved in the *.suva file.

Edit risk assessment

All fields marked with an asterisk (*) must be completed.
Basic data is entered up on the first pages before activities, hazards and measures can be systematically entered up.

Edit data/settings

Data/Settings can be edited at any time.
In the case of fields with a selection menu, the data (Daten oder Dateien ?? = files) concerned can be opened and edited using the button [...] (add or edit entries).

Download reports

To display and evaluate the data, the application can download reports in PDF (Adobe Acrobat Reader) or Word file formats. All reports can be downloaded using the secondary step “Close”. If reports are available in individual editing steps, the corresponding links are displayed in the left-hand navigation pane.

Close risk assessment

When you have finished editing or if you wish to interrupt your editing session before continuing later on, select “Close” in the navigation. All reports are now available for downloading. In the following window, save the file one last time and finish editing. The start page will be displayed.

4. Data backup

During editing, all data is saved temporarily on the Suva server. When editing has been completed (by means of “Close”), the data on the server is deleted.
During or following editing, the data can be backed up with the link “Data backup *.suva” in the left-hand navigation pane. A *.suva file is generated that the user saves on his/her computer. Responsibility for the data thus lies with the software user.
Recommendation: back up your file regularly during processing.

5. Protection against data loss

If you close your browser during editing, if your computer crashes or if your Internet connection is lost, the data is saved on the Suva server for approximately one hour. If you restart the application within this period, the data can be restored. To do this, you must answer “Yes” to the question “Continue interrupted work session?” that is displayed on the first page.
If not restarted within this one-hour period, the data saved is transmitted by e-mail to the address entered in the *.suva file and deleted on the Suva server. Please note that the e-mail address can only be entered on the first page (q.v. §3. Application).