Apply ISO 10218 and ISO/TS 15066 to identify hazards specific to power and force limiting collaborative robots.
Occupational Health & Safety
Risk Assessment for Collaborative Robots and Autonomous Mobile Robots
Trains safety engineers to apply ISO 10218, ISO/TS 15066 and ISO 3691-4 to assess collision, pinch and navigation risks from collaborative robots and autonomous mobile robots sharing space with people.
🗓️Duration5 training days
📚Content4 modules · 8 sessions
🎓On completionAccredited attendance certificate
About the programme
Course Overview
As collaborative robots and autonomous mobile robots move onto shop floors and into warehouses without traditional fixed guarding, conventional machine risk assessment does not fully address dynamic shared spaces, variable speeds and constant human proximity. This course applies ISO 10218 for industrial robots, ISO/TS 15066 for power and force limiting collaboration, and ISO 3691-4 for autonomous mobile robots to hazards such as pinch points, collision energy, unexpected restart, fleet navigation, blind corners and mixed pedestrian traffic. Participants learn the assessment methodology behind biomechanical contact limits, speed and separation monitoring, safety-rated soft limits, and exclusion and warning zone design, then validate controls using force measurement, functional testing and periodic revalidation after task or layout changes. Teaching combines case-based walkthroughs of real cobot and mobile robot deployments with hands-on calculation of force limits against body regions and layout risk-zone design exercises, so participants leave with a completed risk assessment, a safety-zone design and a revalidation schedule.
Expected Learning Outcomes
Calculate permissible contact force and pressure limits for different body regions during human-robot collaboration.
Assess autonomous mobile robot navigation risks using ISO 3691-4, including blind corners and mixed pedestrian traffic.
Design exclusion, warning and speed-and-separation zones around collaborative and mobile robot workcells.
Validate safety-rated monitored stop and speed limiting functions using force measurement and functional testing.
Document a robot-specific risk assessment that links hazards, controls and residual risk to layout and task changes.
Build a revalidation and change-management process triggered by task, tooling, layout or software updates.
Who Should Attend
Manufacturing and warehouse safety engineers assessing new cobot or AMR deployments.
Robotics integrators responsible for safety validation before handover.
Production engineers redesigning workcells to include human-robot collaboration.
Maintenance technicians who service and revalidate collaborative robot cells.
Warehouse operations managers introducing autonomous mobile robot fleets.
Health and safety advisers reviewing risk assessments for automated equipment.
Course Modules
Select any module to see its sessions and points.
01Hazards and Standards for Shared Human-Robot Workspaces
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Understanding Collaborative Robot Operating Modes
- Distinguish the four collaborative operating modes in ISO 10218, including safety-rated monitored stop, hand guiding, speed and separation monitoring, and power and force limiting.
- Identify which collaborative mode applies to each task by analysing cycle time, payload, tooling and the degree of human proximity required.
- Recognise that a robot advertised as collaborative can still require full guarding when paired with hazardous tooling, high payloads or sharp end effectors.
- Review manufacturer safety data, including maximum speed, force and torque limits, before assuming a robot is inherently safe for collaboration.
Session 2Applying ISO 10218 and ISO/TS 15066 to Hazard Identification
- Use ISO 10218-1 and -2 to structure hazard identification across the robot, end effector, workpiece and surrounding workcell.
- Apply ISO/TS 15066 to identify transient and quasi-static contact hazards at pinch points, crushing zones and trapped-finger locations.
- Map foreseeable misuse scenarios, including reaching into the workspace, unexpected restart and bypassed interlocks, alongside normal operating hazards.
- Record identified hazards in a structured register that links each hazard to the affected body part and the operating mode in use.
02Assessing Force, Speed and Separation Risks
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Calculating Biomechanical Limits for Contact Force
- Apply the ISO/TS 15066 biomechanical limit tables to calculate permissible transient and quasi-static contact pressure for each affected body region.
- Compare measured or estimated robot contact force and pressure against biomechanical limits to determine whether additional mitigation is required.
- Adjust robot speed, payload or end-effector design where calculated contact force exceeds the permissible limit for the task.
- Account for combined effects of end-effector shape, edge radius and clamping force when contact area is small, such as at fingertips.
Session 2Designing Speed and Separation Monitoring Zones
- Calculate minimum protective separation distance using robot and human approach speeds, sensor response time and stopping performance.
- Design warning and protective zones around the robot using area scanners, vision systems or pressure-sensitive floors matched to the calculated distance.
- Specify safety-rated soft axis and speed limits so the robot automatically slows or stops as a person enters each monitored zone.
- Validate that sensor coverage has no blind spots created by fixtures, pallets or other equipment within the monitored zones.
03Autonomous Mobile Robot Navigation and Fleet Risks
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Assessing AMR Navigation Hazards Under ISO 3691-4
- Apply ISO 3691-4 to assess hazards from autonomous mobile robot navigation, including path deviation, unexpected stops and blind-corner collisions.
- Evaluate the robot's obstacle detection and dynamic path replanning performance against realistic warehouse congestion and lighting conditions.
- Assess docking, charging and manual override procedures for hazards created when the robot switches between autonomous and manual control.
- Review fleet management software configuration for traffic rules, right-of-way logic and geofencing around high-risk areas.
Session 2Managing Mixed Pedestrian and Vehicle Traffic
- Map pedestrian, forklift and AMR traffic flows to identify intersections, blind corners and shared aisles requiring additional controls.
- Introduce physical and procedural segregation, including marked pedestrian routes, mirrors and speed restrictions, at identified conflict points.
- Assess the visibility and audibility of robot warning signals under real ambient noise and lighting conditions on the operating floor.
- Coordinate AMR routing changes with facilities and production teams whenever layout, racking or traffic patterns are altered.
04Validating, Documenting and Revalidating Robot Risk Assessments
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Functional Testing and Safety Performance Validation
- Verify safety-rated monitored stop, speed limiting and force limiting functions through documented functional testing before first use.
- Measure actual contact force and pressure using calibrated instruments to confirm calculated biomechanical limits are met in practice.
- Test emergency stop, protective stop and sensor blind-spot scenarios under realistic operating speed and payload conditions.
- Confirm the safety-related control system achieves the performance level or safety integrity level required by the risk assessment.
Session 2Documentation, Change Control and Revalidation
- Compile a risk assessment file linking identified hazards, applied controls, residual risk and validation evidence for each robot cell.
- Define a change-control trigger list, including tooling changes, speed increases and layout moves, that requires a full or partial revalidation.
- Schedule periodic revalidation of sensor performance, stopping distance and biomechanical limits as components age or are serviced.
- Prepare a concise summary of the risk assessment and safe operating limits for supervisors and operators working near the robot.
What the participant receives
4 course modules
A structured syllabus
8 training sessions
across 5 days
32 detailed points
Applied, detailed content
Accredited attendance certificate
On completing the programme
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