DesignSpark Safety enables embedded safety in equipment development

　　RS Components (RS), supported by Schmersal and 3M who are developers of safety products for industry, has launched DesignSpark Safety, the latest tool to be added to the growing DesignSpark portfolio of free-for-download software for product designers and engineers.

　　Accessible via the DesignSpark.com community website, DesignSpark Safety is an intuitive risk-assessment tool that enables companies to embed safety into their end-to-end product design process for the development of machinery.

　　DesignSpark Safety is an embedded software solution that comes with associated support materials, and provides designers with a risk score for their planned product development. It is intended to aid the provision of CE Mark documentation, as well as helping in the reduction of potential hazards and ensuring compliance with the global ISO 12100 safety-standard, which specifies basic terminology, principles and a methodology for achieving safety in the design of machinery.

　　Key users are expected to find significant value in the tool and include industrial machinery designers and integrators, along with industrial engineers tasked with improving safety standards on existing machinery.

　　The new tool enables companies and designers of machinery to meet all the relevant regulations, standards and directives, and minimise the risk of injury to those employed in industries such as manufacturing and processing, among many others.

　　DesignSpark Safety is also intended to help significantly reduce costs for users by removing the need for potentially costly external consultants to carry out detailed risk assessments. Although spreadsheet templates are commonly used in the industry as a more affordable alternative to consultants, they do not always provide an appropriate level of detail and do not provide the relevant documentation upon completion.

　　“DesignSpark Safety is the first powerful and free risk-assessment tool to be made available in the industry,” said Mike Bray, Vice President of DesignSpark at RS. “In addition to expanding the DesignSpark portfolio, the software delivers exceptionally easy access to a professional solution for all engineers by removing the barriers of cost and complexity. Embedding safety into their product development enables the streamlining of designs and the avoidance of costly retrofit solutions.”