EN ISO 12895 and whole body access
When Safety Distances are not enough
EN ISO 12895 answers the question that the existing standards had not explicitlyaddressed: what happens when an operator is inside a hazard zone without being detected. The standard specifies the criteria for assessing whether whole body access is present in machinery and a methodology for determining the requirements needed to reduce the associated risks.
Correct distances. Operator not detected. The problem exists.
A machine complies with the Safety Distances required by EN ISO 13855.
The protective devices are correctly positioned. Yet an operator manages to access the hazard zone without being detected, or to remain in it without the system detecting their presence.
This is the problem that EN ISO 12895 (currently in final approval as ISO/FDIS 12895) addresses. Not how to calculate the distances: those are handled by EN ISO 13855 and EN ISO 13857.
The point is another: what happens when an operator accesses a protected space and the hazardous function of the machine can resume while the operator remains undetected after access.
The document falls within the framework of type-B standards and applies as a direct complement to EN ISO 13855 and EN ISO 13857.
The gap that EN ISO 13855 and EN ISO 13857 did not close
EN ISO 13855 defines how to position the safeguards with respect to the hazard zone.
EN ISO 13857 establishes the Safety Distances to prevent reaching with the limbs. Both assume that protection works as expected: the operator approaches, the system detects, the machine stops. They do not deal with the case in which the operator enters the hazard zone with the whole body, or remains in it, or is not detected at all.
The question that remains unanswered in the previous standards is: «What happens when the Safety Distance alone is not sufficient to prevent complete access to the hazardzone?»
EN ISO 12895 positions itself precisely in this space. It starts from the assumption that the geometric distance criteria have already been applied according to EN ISO 13855 and EN ISO 13857, and focuses on a subsequent level ofanalysis: the possibility that the operator remains inside the hazard zone or accesses it undetected.
This shifts the focus from the “prevention of contact” to the “management of the risk associated with the human presence in the hazardous space”.
Whole body access: when and how it occurs
The core of EN ISO 12895 is the methodological definition of when a condition of whole body access to the hazard zone occurs.
The standard introduces structured criteria for assessing:
- access from above, through or below the physical guards
- the possibility of undetected entry into the hazard zone
- the undetected presence of a person in the protected space
- configurations in which detection is not guaranteed in all operating conditions
This represents a significant change from the traditional approach, which tended to consider risk mainly as a function of distance or stopping time. The focus shifts to the real geometry of the installation and the effective capacity of the system to prevent undetected human presence.
From a sum of distances to an access-control architecture
One of the most innovative aspects of the standard is its complementary nature with respect to the separation standards.
If EN ISO 13855 defines how to position the protective devices and EN ISO 13857 how to position the guards, EN ISO12895 answers the next question: what happens when, despite correct distances, access is still possible?
The standard introduces a set of risk-reduction strategies:
- prevention of physical access (reduction of openings and critical geometries)
- elimination of undetected-presence conditions
- use of advanced presence-detection systems
- management of resets and restart conditions
- design of the access and maintenance interfaces
The result is a systemic approach that considers safety not as a sum of distances, but as an architecture for preventing uncontrolled access.
A system can comply with the distance standards and still have a significant risk, if there is the possibility that a person enters the hazard zone without being detected, remains inside during unsafe conditions, or is not identified by the existing safety systems.
The focus shifts from preventing the event to identifying the exposure condition. Two different logics, with different design implications.
Valid throughout the machine lifecycle
EN ISO 12895 fits naturally within the Safety Lifecycle set out by EN ISO 12100, reinforcing the idea that safety does not end at the design stage, but must be verified throughout the entire machine lifecycle.
The assessment of whole body access becomes relevant in all phases following commissioning:
- plant modifications that alter the geometry of the access points
- retrofit of existing lines with new protective systems
- production layout changes that alter the approach paths
- updates of the protective systems with different technologies
Every change that alters the geometry of the access points or the detection capabilities requires a reassessment of the risk of undetected access and presence.
Accessafe in WG6: where the standard is built
The definition of EN ISO 12895 is developed within the technical committee ISO/TC 199 – Safety of Machinery, in which working groups dedicated to the evolution of functional and geometric safety standards operate.
Accessafe is involved in the work of WG6 (Working Group 6), contributing to the development and revision of the criteria linked to access-risk assessment and to applied safety methodologies.
This positioning allows for direct interaction with the evolution of the standards. In the specific case of EN ISO 12895, the contribution concerns in particular the integration between:
- distance criteria (EN ISO 13855 / EN ISO 13857)
- access assessment (EN ISO 12895)
- monitoring of safety performance over time
Taking part in WG6 means contributing to defining the requirements that will have to be applied, not just adapting to those already written.
The practical scenarios that require a different approach
From an application standpoint, EN ISO 12895 introduces greater attention to scenarios often underestimated in traditional design:
- robot cells with multiple access and complex geometries
- protected areas with limited visibility from outside
- installations with frequent maintenance in the hazard zone
- systems in which presence detection is not continuous or guaranteed in all configurations
In these contexts, applying the Safety Distances alone is not sufficient to ensure risk reduction. An explicit assessment of the risk of undetected access and presence is required, which is exactly what EN ISO 12895 structures.
Accessafe support: from the Risk Assessment to access control
- Access risk assessment (EN ISO 12100 + EN ISO 12895) / Structured analysis of whole body access scenarios in the real configuration of the installation.
- Geometric analysis of the access points / Verification of openings, critical geometries and undetected-presence conditions.
- Conformity verification of presence-detection systems / Assessment of the adequacy of the ESPE systems with respect to the identified access scenarios.
- Safety lifecycle consultancy / Support in the phases following commissioning: modifications, retrofit, protection updates.
- Integration with C-MON-SAFE continuous monitoring / Connection between the static risk assessment and the dynamic monitoring of safety performance.
Frequently asked questions
When does EN ISO 12895 apply?
EN ISO 12895 applies when there is the possibility that an operator accesses the hazard zone with the whole body or remains in it without being detected, even though the Safety Distances have been correctly applied according to EN ISO13855 and EN ISO 13857.
It is relevant in all phases of the machine lifecycle, including the modifications following commissioning.
What does 'undetected presence' mean?
A person may have entered the hazard zone in a detected way (through a controlled opening), but the system is nolonger able to know whether they are still present.
This can happen because the person has moved out of the detection field, because the detection system only covers the entry and not the presence, or because the operating conditions(posture, position, tools) make the person undetectable by the sensors.
In this case the system could resume the workcycle with the operator still in the hazard zone.
How does it integrate with EN ISO 13855 and EN ISO 13857?
EN ISO 13855 and EN ISO 13857 define the conditions of geometric separation.
EN ISO 12895 starts from these conditions as a premise and deals with the cases in which geometric separation is not sufficient to prevent complete access.
The three standards work in sequence: first the distances are applied (EN ISO 13855 + EN ISO 13857), then it is assessed whether the risk of whole body access exists (EN ISO 12895).
Is EN ISO 12895 already in force?
The standard is currently in final approval as ISO/FDIS 12895.
Definitive publication is expected by 2026.
Organisations that design machines with complex access scenarios can already align with the methodological principles of the document, which incorporates consolidated practices in safety design.
