Glossary · Risk assessment and risk reduction
Engineering control
In occupational and machine safety, an engineering control is a physical or technical measure that reduces exposure to a hazard without relying mainly on individual behavior. Guards, interlocks, extraction systems and enclosures are typical examples.
- Machine safety
- Risk assessment
In one sentence
Engineering controls such as guards, interlocks and local exhaust act on the hazard or the exposure path instead of relying on people to behave safely.
Example
A conveyor transfer point gets a fixed guard over the in-running nip point and a noise enclosure, so operators are protected whether or not they remember the warning signs.
How it applies
- Machine safety: In the manufacturer's vocabulary of ISO 12100, most engineering controls correspond to safeguards and complementary protective measures. The term engineering control comes from occupational safety and the hierarchy of controls.
- Integrated systems: Many engineering controls depend on a control system, for example an interlock. Their reliability is then a matter of functional safety and must be verified.
- Technical documentation: Document what the control protects against, its limits, required inspections and what happens if it fails or is removed. Maintenance manuals must say how to restore it after servicing.
- Evidence: Keep inspection and test records; an engineering control that is bypassed or degraded offers no protection.
Engineering control vs. inherently safe design measure
An inherently safe design measure removes the hazard or reduces the risk through the design itself. An engineering control adds a barrier or device between the person and a hazard that still exists.