ISO 4254-16:2018

Overview

ISO 4254-16:2018 - "Agricultural machinery - Safety - Part 16: Portable agricultural grain augers" specifies safety requirements and verification for the design and construction of portable agricultural grain augers. Intended to be used together with ISO 4254-1, this type‑C standard addresses hazards specific to conventional and swing‑away portable augers used to convey agricultural materials on farms. It does not cover drag augers, bin sweeps, augers without towable wheels, or machines manufactured before its publication.

Key topics and technical requirements

The standard focuses on practical machine‑safety measures and verification, including:

• Guarding of rotating components: PTO shafts and connecting points must be guarded per ISO 5673‑1; intake and flighting must have effective guards to prevent accidental contact.
• Fixed hopper guarding: Prescribes guarding options and dimensional limits for grating‑style and baffle‑style guards (e.g., grating openings ≤ 121 mm, area ≤ 6 450 mm², minimum clearances; baffle slot width ≤ 38 mm and minimum distance from flighting).
• Intake guarding: Requirements to prevent access to rotating flighting at intake points.
• Mechanical systems: Lateral stability, tube restraint, winch design (drum, hand and electric winches), wire ropes and pulleys.
• Hydraulic and electrical safety: Component and fitting requirements, hydraulic lifting systems, grounding and electrical equipment safety.
• Transport and road use: Lighting, marking, and speed identification signs for public road transport.
• Verification and documentation: Procedures for verifying safety measures, required information for use, operator’s manual content, and safety signs.
• Annexes: Illustrative examples of covered equipment (Annex A) and a list of significant hazards (Annex B).

Applications and who uses it

ISO 4254‑16 is essential for stakeholders involved in the lifecycle of portable grain augers:

• Manufacturers and designers: to design and build compliant, safer augers.
• Regulators and safety inspectors: to assess conformity and enforce machine safety.
• Farm operators and employers: to understand safe operation, maintenance and required markings/manuals.
• Service and maintenance providers: to implement safe servicing practices and replacement parts that meet the standard.

Using ISO 4254‑16 helps reduce entanglement, crush, electrical and hydraulic hazards and supports safer on‑farm grain handling operations.

Related standards

Normative and related references commonly cited with ISO 4254‑16 include:

• ISO 4254-1 (General requirements for agricultural machinery safety)
• ISO 12100 (Risk assessment and risk reduction)
• ISO 5673-1 (PTO drive shaft guarding)
• ISO 13857, ISO 3600, ISO 11684, ISO 16154, ISO 20383

Keywords: ISO 4254-16:2018, portable agricultural grain augers, agricultural machinery safety, auger guarding, intake guarding, operator’s manual, PTO guarding.