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The first Finnish machine safety partners have received their certification. The partner companies participated in an international certification programme that included workshops organised by Siemens and a certification test organised by Technischer Überwachungsverein (TÜV SÜD). TÜV SÜD is an independent international testing organisation whose machine safety certification has so far been completed by only a few operators in Finland. The certification workshops and test were held in 2021.
“The knowledge of the participants was tested extensively during the certification. The certificate proves that the person is an expert in safety regulations, technology and system architecture,” says Janne Niemeläinen, specialist in charge of safety solutions at Siemens.
Comatec’s certified expert is design engineer Jussi Purtilo, who says the workshops further reinforced his understanding of how important risk assessments are to carry out from the earliest stages of engineering. The workshops also provided fresh perspectives into various programming and testing tools, documentation, and safety system specifications. A minimum of three years work experience in two different safety technology projects was required for certification.
Jussi Purtilo describes his participation in the workshops to have been useful in many ways.
“In my opinion, the standard required was appropriate. How well one did in the exercises was considerably influenced by their professional competence and knowledge of each topic. The topics of some exercises were less familiar, and some were closer to my job description,” says Purtilo.
“The risk assessments showed me new ways of thinking that will benefit the engineering of new projects. The deep dive into the standards was also useful information. What I learned in the workshops will make me use safety design software tools like the TIA Portal even more,” says Purtilo.
Purtilo believes that certified professionals will enjoy increased trust from customers.
“When our engineering is based on safety and usability, our customers can rest assured that they will receive a solution that is optimal and reliable,” says Purtilo.
“It’s a good thing that people on many levels are considering the safety of machines more throughout their whole life cycle. Siemens can now offer even better expertise through its partners,” says Janne Niemeläinen from Siemens.
Comatec Automation Oy CEO Tero Kosonen also values the Siemens machine safety partnership.
“We possess extensive experience and expertise in production machinery engineering, industrial automation, machine safety engineering, and related solution deliveries. We have a long history of cooperation with Siemens, and we’re happy to deepen it in terms of machine safety as well. Certification is a better way for us to show our level of expertise,” says Kosonen.
“Safe equipment is also more profitable at the end of the day. Even the founder of Siemens, Werner von Siemens said that preventing accidents is a human obligation and commercial good sense,” says Niemeläinen.