When a robotic cell goes onto a production line, safety is not an add-on — it is part of the engineering. This guide explains how industrial robot-cell safety is approached and where the standards sit. To be clear: this concerns industrial robots on a factory floor — not consumer or humanoid robotics, robotics education, AI, or RPA (robotic process automation) software. RoboFactory Africa risk-assesses and commissions robotic cells across Ghana and Togo, since 2018.
What “Robot Cell Safety” Means
A robotic cell is a robot integrated into a production task — palletizing, packaging, welding, material handling — together with its guarding, sensing, interlocks and control. Safety means engineering that cell so people and the process are protected throughout its operation, not just at handover.
It Is a Safety Case, Not a Sticker
Safety is established by risk assessment and design, documented as a safety case — not asserted by a label.
The Standards That Apply
ISO 10218 — Industrial Robot Safety
ISO 10218-2 addresses the safety of robot systems and integration — the cell as installed on the line, not just the robot arm in isolation. We engineer robot-cell integration to this practice where it applies.
ISO 12100 — Machinery Risk Assessment
ISO 12100 is the general machinery risk-assessment and risk-reduction standard. Every robotic cell and machine change is risk-assessed to it.
IEC 61508 / IEC 61511 — Functional Safety / SIL
Where the process demands it, functional-safety practice and Safety Integrity Levels (SIL) under IEC 61508 / IEC 61511 govern the safety-related control functions.
Supporting Practice
Control panels follow IEC 61439, PLC programming follows IEC 61131-3, MES integration follows ISA-95, and OT cybersecurity follows IEC 62443, where each applies. We describe these as the framework we work to, and claim a specific certification only where it is actually held.
Ghana’s Factory-Safety Regime
In Ghana, factory and machinery safety is governed by the Factories, Offices and Shops Act 1970 (Act 328), administered through the Department of Factories Inspectorate (DFI) — not the GSA. A robotic cell on a Ghanaian factory floor sits inside this regime, and we commission within it.
How We Build Safety In
- Risk-assess the cell and the machine change (ISO 12100, ISO 10218-2)
- Engineer guarding, interlocks and safety-related control, with SIL where the process demands (IEC 61508 / 61511)
- Verify the safety case at commissioning, on the floor, within the Act 328 / DFI regime
- Train operators and maintenance, and hand over documented safety design
What It Costs
Robot-cell safety engineering is part of a scoped and quoted project — the cell, the line, and the safety case all drive it. There is no flat published rate, and we never quote an invented figure.
Related Services
- Robotic Installation & Integration
- Industrial Automation & Systems Integration
- Automation System Design & Engineering
- Controls & Instrumentation
Frequently Asked Questions
Does ISO 10218 apply to the robot or the whole cell?
ISO 10218-2 addresses the robot system and its integration — the cell as installed, including guarding and interlocks, not the arm alone.
Is GSA the factory-safety authority in Ghana?
No. Factory and machinery safety is governed by the Factories, Offices and Shops Act 1970 (Act 328), administered by the Department of Factories Inspectorate (DFI).
Is this about humanoid or consumer robots?
No. This is industrial robotic cells on a production line — palletizing, welding, handling — not consumer/humanoid robotics, robotics education, or RPA software.
Request a consultation — or scope an automation project: +233 20 531 3333.