Mitigate risk

Select the right safety product for your application

At SICK, protecting people is the highest priority. Over 75 years ago the company founder Erwin Sick developed the first safety light curtain, thereby laying the foundational stone for improving occupational safety in industrial production.

Today, SICK offers an impressive array of advanced solutions that seamlessly blend personal protection with uncompromised productivity. Every safety product in SICK's portfolio is meticulously designed, rigorously tested, and certified to local and global safety standards.

  • Cost
  • Hazards vs. Risks
  • ANSI B11.19 Compliance
  • Safety Strategy

The cost of inadequate safety

Industrial accidents represent a devastating human and financial toll:

  • 300 million workplace accidents occur annually worldwide
  • Over 350,000 lives lost each year to preventable incidents
  • Billions in costs for compensation, penalties, and increased insurance premiums
  • Immeasurable losses in productivity, talent, and corporate reputation

SICK's safety solutions don't just protect workers—they protect your entire operation.

Hazards vs Risks: The foundation of safety

Hazard: Any source of potential damage or harm in the workplace (mechanical, electrical, thermal, etc.)

Risk: The probability that harm will occur when exposed to a hazard, considering severity, frequency, and avoidance possibilities.

Effective safety systems address both hazards and risks through layered protection strategies—from elimination and guarding to warnings and administrative controls. SICK's comprehensive portfolio provides solutions for each layer, helping you transform hazardous environments into productive workspaces.

ANSI B11.19 Compliance: The industry standard

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) B11.19 Standard provides critical performance requirements for risk reduction measures across industrial machinery. As a key contributor to these standards, SICK helps shape the future of machine safety while ensuring our products consistently exceed compliance requirements.

"The new standard has made attempts to align with other widely used standards, both domestically and internationally, by reducing conflicts in terminology and technical requirements." — Chris Soranno, Manager of International Safety Standards at SICK.

SICK's safety solutions are designed with ANSI B11.19 compliance as a foundational element, addressing physical barriers, safety distance considerations, whole body access scenarios, and all newly added risk reduction measures.

Resources:

6 steps to a comprehensive safety strategy

  1. Professional Risk Assessment
    • Identify and evaluate all potential hazards through systematic analysis
    • Determine required risk reduction based on severity and likelihood
  2. Safe Machine Design
    • Implement inherently safe design principles from the start
    • Eliminate hazards at the source whenever possible
  3. Technical Protective Measures
    • Apply appropriate safeguarding technologies based on risk assessment
    • Ensure proper configuration of safety monitoring systems
  4. Clear Risk Communication
    • Communicate remaining hazards through effective warning systems
    • Document detailed safety procedures for all operations
  5. Thorough Validation
    • Test entire protection system functionality before commissioning
    • Verify performance meets safety compliance requirements
  6. Ongoing Compliance Management
    • Complete all safety documentation and compliance records
    • Establish regular safety audit protocols

Resources:

Safety Laser Scanner

SICK's advanced safety laser scanners provide flexible area protection with configurable safety zones, making them ideal for both stationary and mobile applications. These intelligent devices can distinguish between people and objects, enabling safe operation in dynamic environments.

Key Product Lines:

microScan3

Advanced safety laser scanners with intuitive setup and operation

nanoScan3

Compact safety scanners for space-constrained applications

TiM-S LiDAR Sensor

Feature a compact design that is ideal for mobile and stationary applications

Resources

Safety Light Curtains

SICK's safety light curtains provide reliable point-of-operation and perimeter protection with multiple resolution options to safeguard fingers, hands, and body access. Their robust design ensures reliable performance even in challenging industrial environments.

Key Product Lines:

deTec4

Versatile safety light curtains with plug-and-play simplicity

deTec4 Core

Cost-effective light curtains for standard applications

deTem Safety Light-Beam Sensor

The SICK deTem safety light-beam sensor delivers exceptional flexibility and efficiency for safeguarding access points.

Resources

Safety Switches and Interlocks

SICK offers a comprehensive range of safety switches and interlocks to monitor and secure guards, gates, and access points. These devices ensure that machinery cannot operate when protective guards are open or when safety conditions are compromised.

Key Product Lines:

flexLock

RFID-coded safety interlock with strong locking force and tamper resistance

STR1

Non-contact magnetic safety switches for door monitoring

TR4

Safety command devices for emergency stops and resets

RE2

Safety relay modules for monitoring switch states

i10 Lock/i10R Lock

Electro-mechanical interlocking switches with guard locking

i110 Lock

Heavy-duty interlocking switch for demanding industrial environments

These safety switches and interlocks provide reliable protection for all types of machinery, from simple standalone applications to complex integrated safety systems, with options for various safety integrity levels and performance requirements.

Resources

Safety Controllers

SICK's safety controllers provide the intelligence behind comprehensive safety systems, integrating multiple safety devices into cohesive, logical safety networks. These flexible controllers can be programmed to handle everything from simple e-stop functions to complex safety zone management.

Key Product Lines:

Flexi Compact

Compact, easy-to-configure safety controllers

Flexi Soft

Modular safety controllers for complex applications

Flexi Classic

Reliable safety control for standard applications

Resources

Selecting the right safety solution

Application matching

When to use safety scanners:

  • Area protection is needed rather than just point protection
  • Multiple safety zones must be configured
  • Mobile equipment requires dynamic protection fields
  • Environmental conditions make other solutions impractical

When to use safety light curtians:

  • Precise access point protection is required
  • High-resolution finger or hand detection is needed
  • Material must pass through while blocking personnel
  • Space constraints limit other safety options

When to use safety switches and interlocks:

  • Door and gate access points need monitoring and locking
  • Prevention of guard opening during dangerous machine states is required
  • Physical barriers need electrical monitoring
  • High-security applications where tamper resistance is important

When to use safety controllers:

  • Multiple safety devices must work together as a system
  • Complex safety logic must be implemented
  • Different machine modes require different safety responses
  • Integration with machine control systems is required

Why Sick stand apart

Unmatched expertise

With decades of pioneering innovation in industrial safety, SICK engineers don't just understand safety standards—they help shape them. Our safety specialists work with regulatory bodies globally to develop the safety protocols that protect workers worldwide. Chris Soranno, SICK's Manager of International Safety Standards , serves as chairperson of ANSI B11.19, directly influencing the evolution of safety standards across North America.

Superior technology

SICK's safety solutions incorporate cutting-edge technology that delivers:

  • Faster response times to minimize production interruptions
  • More reliable detection to eliminate dangerous false trips
  • Greater flexibility for customized safety configurations
  • Seamless integration with existing automation systems
  • Advanced diagnostics for quick troubleshooting

Complete safety ecosystem

Only SICK offers a complete safety ecosystem spanning:

  • Hardware - Perfectly matched safety devices engineered to work together
  • Software - Intuitive configuration tools and comprehensive diagnostic platforms
  • Services - Risk assessment, implementation, and ongoing support
  • Training - Comprehensive education programs for safety professionals

Safety without compromise

With SICK's advanced safety portfolio, you never have to choose between protecting people and maintaining productivity. SICK solutions are engineered to:

  • Reduce Downtime - Intelligent design prevents unnecessary interruptions
  • Enhance Flexibility - Adaptable configurations for changing production needs
  • Simplify Compliance - Built to meet or exceed all relevant safety standards
  • Maximize Efficiency - Optimized for seamless integration with production processes
  • Future-Proof Operations - Scalable platforms that grow with your safety needs

Worldwide compliance expertise

SICK's safety solutions comply with all major global safety standards:

  • OSHA standards (USA)
  • ANSI B11 series (USA)
  • CE/EN regulations (Europe)
  • CSA/ANSI requirements (Canada)
  • CCC/GB specifications (China)
  • JIS compliance (Japan)
  • AS/NZS standards (Australia/New Zealand)