Safety for your machines and operators in automation with SMC

Machine safety refers to the set of measures, standards, and practices applied to prevent accidents and injuries when operating machinery. It involves assessing risks, implementing technical safeguards (such as emergency stops, interlocks, and safety circuits), and ensuring that control systems perform reliably under all foreseeable conditions.

Machine safety is essential not only to protect operators and the workplace but also to comply with legal requirements such as the EU Machinery Directive and EN ISO 13849-1. Effective machine safety combines mechanical, electrical, and pneumatic solutions with structured documentation and risk-based design.

SMC offers a comprehensive range of machinery safety products, including safety components, valves, airline equipment, flow control equipment, and check valves. These solutions are designed to support safe machine operation, help reduce risks for operators, and ensure compliance with relevant international machinery safety standards.

EN ISO 13849-1 is an international standard that defines requirements for safety-related parts of control systems. It specifies how safety functions must be designed, validated, and documented, and how they are evaluated using the Performance Level (PL) concept.

Compliance with this standard is a key element in achieving CE conformity, as it ensures that machinery-related risks are reduced to an acceptable level through reliable control system design.

SMC provides TÜV-certified solutions for a wide range of safety functions, including Safe Brake Control (SBC), Safe Venting (SVE), Prevention of Unexpected Start-up (PUS), and Safe Torque Off (STO). These functions are designed and validated in accordance with EN ISO 13849-1, helping machine builders and operators implement compliant and robust safety concepts using pneumatic and electropneumatic components.

PneuSAFE is SMC’s free online configuration tool for quickly designing safety-related pneumatic circuits. It enables users to configure validated safety architectures and provides complete outputs such as circuit diagrams, bills of materials, and SISTEMA-compatible data. This significantly reduces engineering effort and supports structured documentation for CE conformity and safety validation.

Key regulations for machine safety include the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC (to be replaced by the EU Machinery Regulation from 2027), EN ISO 12100 for risk assessment and risk reduction, and EN ISO 13849-1/-2 for the design and validation of safety-related control systems. Together, these form the legal and normative framework for designing, assessing, and certifying safe machinery in Lithuania and across the EU.

Yes. SMC’s local service and sales teams in Lithuania provide on-site consulting, technical training, and project support. This includes assistance with risk assessment, safety concept development, documentation, and the CE-marking process—helping customers implement compliant, efficient, and future-proof machine safety solutions.

You can contact SMC’s safety experts directly through the contact options on the page or reach out to your local SMC Lithuania office for tailored support.