This American national adoption of an international standard specifies basic terminology, principles and a methodology for achieving safety in the design of machinery. It specifies principles of risk assessment and risk reduction to help designers in achieving this objective. These principles are based on knowledge and experience of the design, use, incidents, accidents and risks associated with machinery. Procedures are described for identifying hazards and estimating and evaluating risks during relevant phases of the machine life cycle, and for the elimination of hazards or the provision of sufficient risk reduction. Guidance is given on the documentation and verification of the risk assessment and risk reduction process.

This International Standard is also intended to be used as a basis for the preparation of type-B or type-C safety standards. It does not deal with risk and/or damage to domestic animals, property or the environment.