Glossary · Machinery law and conformity
State of the art
German: Stand der Technik
In EU product safety law, the state of the art is the current level of technical development and accepted good practice relevant to risk reduction. Manufacturers must take it into account when applying the essential health and safety requirements.
- Compliance
- Standards
- EU
- German source term
In one sentence
The state of the art is the current level of technical development and good practice that a manufacturer must consider when reducing risk.
Example
When a new generation of safety laser scanners makes muting of an AGV lane unnecessary, a manufacturer designing a new conveyor transfer station must consider whether the older muting concept still reflects the state of the art.
Explained in context
Context cards connect this term with others to answer one question. Also in British English and German.
- BSI guidance on the CRA: context-dependent, not contradictoryWhen two pieces of BSI guidance on the Cyber Resilience Act seem irreconcilable, is the guidance contradictory?UKDeutsch
- Grandfathering covers the design, never the fileDoes grandfathering protect an existing plant and its documentation?UKDeutsch
How it applies
- Compliance: The state of the art moves. A design that was acceptable ten years ago may no longer be when better, reasonably available solutions exist. The reference point is the time the product is placed on the market.
- Standards: Harmonized standards are strong evidence of the state of the art but can lag behind it, especially for software, cybersecurity and AI. Watch for revisions and draft standards.
- Technical documentation: Record in the risk assessment which solutions were considered and why the chosen one is appropriate. This reasoning is what shows the state of the art was taken into account.
- German nuance: German law distinguishes allgemein anerkannte Regeln der Technik (established practice), Stand der Technik (advanced, proven practice) and Stand von Wissenschaft und Technik (latest scientific knowledge); Stand der Technik sits in the middle and is more demanding than common practice.
State of the art vs. acceptable risk
The state of the art describes what is technically and economically achievable. Acceptable risk is the judgment that the risk remaining after risk reduction is tolerable. Both are needed: a risk is not acceptable only because the state of the art was followed.