The British Automation and Robotics Association (Bara) is running a conference on machine safety at historic Bletchley Park, near Milton Keynes, on 9 November. The conference, organised in association with Drives & Controls, will focus on the practical implementation of functional safety, and will provide an overview of standards and legislation, including recent developments on the Machinery Directive.

The event will include demonstrations and tutorial sessions covering practical risk assessment and safety system design. A Q&A session will give delegates the opportunity to pose questions to a panel of experts. They will also be able to meet leading machine safety vendors in an exhibition area.

The conference is aimed at specifiers and designers of machinery and safety-related electrical control systems, as well as managers and engineers responsible for machine safety. There will be speakers from the HSE, Rockwell Automation, Pilz, Sick, Siemens, Schneider Electric, Laidler Associates and Fortress Interlocks.

“These conferences continue to be extremely popular, as witnessed by past attendance,” says Dr Richard Piggin, the conference director, and chairman of Bara`s Safety Special Interest Group. “Delegates have clearly articulated the need for a forum where functional safety standards and legislation can be discussed, particularly with the changing standards environment."

Delegates will be able to take a guided tour of the site of Britain’s codebreaking activities during WWII, and the birthplace of the modern computer. They will see a working, rebuilt version of the Turing Bombe – the machine that was used to crack the Enigma codes.

If you are interested in exhibiting at the safety conference, please contact Doug Devlin on 01922 644766.

To book a place at the conference, visit www.drives.co.uk/machine-safety