Can Electronic Safety Devices Be Used with Pneumatic or Hydraulic Machine Controls for Proper Energy Isolation?

Yes, electronic safety devices can be integrated with pneumatic or hydraulic machine controls, but they must be part of a comprehensive energy isolation system that meets safety standards like OSHA’s Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout) and ANSI/ISO functional safety guidelines.

Electronic safety components—such as safety PLCs, solenoid valves with monitoring, pressure sensors, and interlock switches—can monitor and control the status of fluid power systems. However, they cannot replace the requirement for physical energy isolation. Instead, they enhance safety by:

• Ensuring cylinders are fully retracted or depressurized before access is granted

• Verifying pressure is at a safe level before unlocking guards

• Providing diagnostic feedback for failure detection

To be compliant, electronic safety systems must be designed with redundancy and fault tolerance (e.g., Category 3 or 4 per ISO 13849-1 or SIL 2/3 per IEC 62061). Additionally, manual lockout points must still be provided to fully isolate pneumatic or hydraulic energy sources during maintenance or servicing.

Bottom line: Use electronic safety devices to verify and monitor safe conditions—but always incorporate manual energy isolation as required for full compliance and worker protection.