ISO 10218 and Task-Based Risk Assessment for Industrial Robots

Industrial robot cells are only as safe as the tasks people still do around them. ISO 10218 sets robot and system requirements. ISO 12100 and ANSI B11.0 set the risk assessment method. ANSI/A3 TR R15.306 turns that method into a task-based workflow.

Why task-based assessment matters

A hazard list that only names the robot is incomplete. People program, teach, clean, recover faults, and maintain the cell. Each of those tasks has a different exposure, severity, and safeguard need.

A task-based assessment:

• Lists every task performed in automatic, teach, and maintenance modes
• Associates hazards with each task, not only with the machine
• Scores risk using a documented matrix
• Selects safeguards and administrative controls
• Records verification and validation

What ISO 10218 expects

ISO 10218-1 covers the robot. ISO 10218-2 covers the robot system and cell integration. Together they expect:

• Identified hazards for intended use and reasonably foreseeable misuse
• Protective measures matched to residual risk
• Information for use, including limits of the cell
• Coordination with the integrator and the user

That work is much easier when every assessment follows the same structure.

How Robot Safety Center helps

Robot Safety Center turns the ANSI/A3 task-based process into a repeatable digital workflow: tasks, hazards, risk scoring, safeguards, functional safety calculations, and an audit trail.

Teams stop rebuilding spreadsheets for every cell. Assessments stay consistent across plants. Reports are ready for inspection.

Next step

If your team is still managing robot risk in disconnected files, request a demo or review current plans.