NFPA79?

[CEDEng]

I've learned a ton from this forum and others like it. I'm going to throw this question out once in a while until I get a satisfactory answer!

Does anyone know of a forum (or other Q/A format) regarding NFPA79? (I put the question here in the SAFETY header, as NFPA79 is really about the "safety" of industrial machinery.)

While there are certainly alot more electricians and the like than there are Machine Builders, it seems that there'd still be enough interest to have a regular place to go for discussion...but no luck so far!

Anyone know of anything?

Thanks and keep up the great conversations!

 

[petersonra]

one might think so but I have never run across one. have not run across one for UL508a either.

 

[Jraef]

I think if you are looking for forums specifically regarding NFPA79, your narrow focus may be limiting you. There are several machine safety forums out there, but they tend to be international because a lot of the IEC safety regulations are complex and very confusing to people so they need a lot of support. NFPA79 is more widely understood because it is an outgrowth of several previous codes and standards that have been consolidated. Plus it only applies to the US, and only to specific TYPES of machine controls, and only the electrical safety related aspects of it, and only until we too supplant it and adopt the IEC machine safety regulations. That's been in the works for years and is not likely to happen for a few more, but sooner or later, it will come.

Engineering Tips has a forum on NFPA issues in general, but not on NFPA 79 alone and it's fairly clogged up with "fire code" aspects. They also have one on UL issues in general but not specific to UL508a.

For the most part, this is about the best place to ask questions on NFPA 79 and discuss related issues that I have found.

 

[CEDEng]

Thanks for the responses.

I am neck deep in IEC as well.

As it turns out (at this point in 2017...), the IEC standard regarding machinery safety (IEC 60204) is just about identical to NFPA79 (this is not a coincidence, obviously).

I completely agree that the NFPA79 is a narrow focus for a forum - but full disclosure, I limited my post to that because this is primarily an NFPA forum. I could have said "IEC 60204" and I'd be in the same situation.

What I really meant to say was: Why isn't there a panel-builder forum? Machinery forum? This forum would cover industrial machinery and the standards that guide it, NFPA79, IEC 60204, UL508a, and the rest. It might also
cover ISO 12100 (Risk Assessment). I actually have about 20 standards that are directly applicable to machine builders, and at least 20 more that are MAY be applicable, depending on your situation.

So - yep - the NFPA79 search is narrow - but if I broaden my horizons to all that I just mentioned - I still find nothing - no place where it is centrally located.

 

[petersonra]

you could start one.

 

[CEDEng]

I'm a sheep not a shepherd!

...but I've seriously considered it...

 

[just the cowboy]

PLCtalk.net

PLCtalk.net

You can post questions at PLCtalk.net also, it is for PLC programmers. It is not a site for machine builders but I have found many have experance with machine building safety codes.

Good luck
Cowboy