(Der Vortrag wird auf Deutsch gehalten.)

Certified, wireless-based personal safety system for modern industrial facilities Increasing demands for safety, efficiency, and flexibility present companies with new challenges in occupational safety. Despite extensive safety measures, hundreds of thousands of workplace accidents occur every year, particularly in the context of complex industrial facilities and automated production processes. This presentation introduces U-TECH FLEX, an innovative, radio-based personal safety system that detects hazards early and automatically shuts down machines before critical situations arise. The contactless system provides reliable protection for employees at a wide variety of facilities—regardless of machine type or year of manufacture—and can be flexibly integrated into existing production environments. In addition to the technical functionality, the presentation highlights the benefits for companies and employees: increased safety, greater freedom of movement, reduced downtime, as well as international certifications and easy retrofitting. Using practical examples from various industries, the presentation demonstrates how digital protection systems can make a significant contribution to Vision Zero—a workplace free of serious or fatal accidents.

The new Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230, like the previous Machinery Directive, is a document intended for machinery manufacturers. However, operators must also be familiar with it. For example, the topic of “substantial modification” is now regulated consistently across Europe, but the content differs slightly from the German BMAS interpretation paper. In case of a substantial modification, an operator becomes a manufacturer and must comply with the requirements of the Machinery Regulation. This presentation addresses the question of when a substantial modification occurs, what consequences this has for operators, where the pitfalls lie, and which topics are still open. To round things off, the relation to the Industrial Safety Regulation (Betriebssicherheitsverordnung) will be briefly discussed.