Hazards and risk in electric Drives

A hazard is any condition with the potential to cause an accident, and exposure to such a hazard is referred to as the corresponding hazard. As part of the design process, an estimate of the damage that can result if an accident occurs, along with the likelihood of it occurring, is called risk associated with the hazard.

Several Hazards associated with Drives:

  • Danger of entrapment and entanglement, where part or all of a person’s body or clothing may become trapped or crushed as the parts move together, including gears and the rollers

  • Contact hazards, where a person may come into contact with hot surfaces, sharp edges or live electrical components.

  • Impact risk, where a person hits the machine or a part of the machine hits the person.

  • Ejection hazards, where material or a loose component of the machine is thrown

  • Dangers of noise and vibration, which can cause hearing loss, loss of tactile sensitivity or fatigue. In addition, an unexpected sound can cause a person to respond in a startled way.

  • Sudden release of stored energy from mechanical springs, condensers or pressurized gas vessels.

  • Environmental and biological hazards associated with a design, its manufacture, operation, repair and disposal

Risk assessment technique:

It has been found that the following five-step methodology for effectively dealing with hazards is effective:

  • Review existing standards. These will include those provided by the British Standards Institute (BSI), Institution of Electrical Engineers, American National Standards Institute, Underwriters Laboratory, and Institution of Electronic and Electrical Engineers. This review will determine if standards and requirements exist for the product or system being considered.

  • Identify known hazards. The study of recognized standards will make it possible. Identify the hazards usually associated with a system.

  • Identify unknown dangers These hazards include those identified in standards that must be eliminated. The design team must follow a systematic approach to identify these undiscovered hazards that are hidden within the design and in its use or misuse by the operator.

  • Determine the characteristics of the hazards. This stage attempts to determine the frequency, relative severity and characteristics of each hazard. By doing so, the designer can initially focus on those hazards that can result in the most damage and/or those that have the greatest risk associated with them.

  • Elimination and reduction of danger. After the hazard identification, they can be classified by order of severity and occurrence; The designer can concentrate on its elimination.