EN ISO 4254-17:2022 PDF

Overview

EN ISO 4254-17:2022 - "Agricultural machinery - Safety - Part 17: Root crop harvesters" (adopted by CEN as EN ISO 4254-17:2022) specifies safety requirements and verification for the design and construction of root crop harvesting machines (trailed, mounted or self‑propelled). It is intended to be used together with ISO 4254-1 (general safety principles) and covers sieving harvesters, root lifting harvesters and top lifting harvesters that perform one or more operations such as haulm/leaf topping, digging/lifting, cleaning, conveying and unloading. The standard also applies to haulm/leaf toppers used individually and identifies significant hazards (Annex A). Environmental aspects are not considered and noise is only partly addressed. It does not apply to cleaner-loaders that operate from a heap of beet.

Key Topics

The standard defines protective measures, verification and information obligations across machine design and operation. Major technical topics include:

• General safety requirements and principles for integration with machine function and ergonomics.
• Controls and operator interfaces - start/stop, emergency stop, control reliability and visibility of work areas.
• Protection against mechanical hazards - guarding of rotating tools, conveyors, cleaning devices and thrown objects.
• Haulm/leaf topping devices - protection from unintentional contact, conveying and loading device safeguards.
• Cleaning and conveying systems - requirements for cleaning belts, turbines, rollers and conveyors to prevent entanglement and blockages.
• Bunkers and unloading systems - safe unloading arrangements and stability considerations.
• Platforms and workplaces - safe design of sorting and packing platforms, access and fall‑prevention.
• Leaf and haulm spreading devices - guarding and ejection hazard mitigation.
• Noise as a safety requirement (partial coverage) and requirements for information, marking and instructions supplied by the manufacturer.
• Hazard documentation - Annex A lists significant hazards and identifies those not covered.

Applications and Who Uses It

EN ISO 4254-17:2022 is primarily used by:

• Manufacturers and designers of root crop harvesters for product design, risk reduction and conformity.
• Safety and compliance engineers and notified bodies assessing conformity with the EU Machinery Directive (2006/42/EC).
• Test laboratories and quality assurance teams verifying protective measures.
• Procurement specialists and farm managers specifying safe machines and operator training needs.
• Maintenance personnel and trainers for safe working practices and service access guidance.

Practical uses include creating compliant technical documentation, operator manuals, risk assessments, machine guarding designs and procurement specifications.

Related Standards

• ISO 4254-1 (agricultural machinery - general safety requirements) - intended companion standard.
• Supersedes previous European standards EN 13118 and EN 13140.
• Annex ZA maps EN ISO 4254-17 to essential requirements of Directive 2006/42/EC (Machinery Directive).

Keywords: EN ISO 4254-17:2022, root crop harvesters, agricultural machinery safety, haulm/leaf topping, sieving harvesters, ISO 4254-1, CEN, Machinery Directive.