This International Standard identifies hazards and specifies safety requirements applicable to sewing
machines, sewing units and sewing systems designed for professional (industrial, commercial or laboratory)
use in industries including the clothing and footwear, leather goods, shirts and blousery, hosiery and knitwear,
lingerie, glove, upholstery and packaging industries, and in shoe repair.
The information on use and maintenance of such machines in other industries could give rise to hazards not
considered in this International Standard.
The requirements of this International Standard are applicable to machinery installed in dry and well-kept,
clean locations and processing dry sewing material. Where the sewing machines, sewing units or sewing
systems are used in other than dry and well-kept, clean locations, more stringent measures could be
necessary: for example, the higher degree of protection provided by enclosures (IP code — see IEC 60529)[5].
The purpose of this International Standard is to assist the manufacturer to design machinery such that the
risks arising from its defined, intended use and maintenance are reduced or eliminated. The significant
hazards and hazardous situations are given together with a reference to the corresponding safety requirement
or measure in 4.2 to 4.8. Significant hazards are those identified and estimated as requiring action to reduce
the risk they pose.
This International Standard is not applicable to stepping frame sewing machines, shoe bottom stitching
machines, large shuttle embroidery machines in accordance with ISO 11111 [1], integrated sewing systems
within in the scope of ISO 11161 [2] or household sewing machines in accordance with IEC 60335-2-28 [4].
NOTE If household sewing machines are used for professional purposes, it could be necessary to take measures in
accordance with this International Standard (e.g. the use of a finger deflecting device).
ISO 10821:2005 Referenced Document
EN 563 Safety of Machinery - Temperatures of Touchable Surfaces - Ergonomics Data to Establish Temperature Limit Values for Hot Surfaces Includes Amendment A1: 1999
IEC 60204-1 Safety of machinery - Electrical equipment of machines - Part 1: General requirements*, 2024-04-18 Update
IEC 60204-31:2001 Safety of machinery - Electrical equipment of machines - Part 31: Particular safety and EMC requirements for sewing machines, units and systems
IEC 60745-1:2003 Hand-held motor-operated electric tools - Safety - Part 1: General requirements
ISO 11200:1995 Acoustics - Noise emitted by machinery and equipment - Guidelines for the use of basic standards for the determination of emission sound pressure levels at a work station and at other specified positions
ISO 11201:1995 Acoustics - Noise emitted by machinery and equipment - Measurement of emission sound pressure levels at a work station and at other specified positions - Engineering method in an essentially free field over a reflecting plane
ISO 11202:1995 Acoustics - Noise emitted by machinery and equipment - Measurement of emission sound pressure levels at a work station and at other specified positions - Survey method in situ
ISO 11203:1995 Acoustics - Noise emitted by machinery and equipment - Determination of emission sound pressure levels at a work station and at other specified positions from the sound power level
ISO 11204:1995 Acoustics - Noise emitted by machinery and equipment - Measurement of emission sound pressure levels at a work station and at other specified positions - Method requiring environmental corrections
ISO 12100-1:2003 Safety of machinery - Basic concepts, general principles for design - Part 1: Basic terminology, methodology
ISO 12100-2:2003 Safety of machinery - Basic concepts, general principles for design - Part 2: Technical principles
ISO 13849-1:1999 Safety of machinery - Safety-related parts of control systems - Part 1: General principles for design
ISO 13852:1996 Safety of machinery - Safety distances to prevent danger zones being reached by the upper limbs
ISO 13853:1998 Safety of machinery - Safety distances to prevent danger zones being reached by the lower limbs
ISO 13854:1996 Safety of machinery - Minimum gaps to avoid crushing of parts of the human body
ISO 3740:2000 Acoustics - Determination of sound power levels of noise sources - Guidelines for the use basic standards
ISO 3741:1999 Acoustics - Determination of sound power levels of noise sources using sound pressure - Precision methods for reverberation rooms
ISO 3743-1:1994 Acoustics; determination of sound power levels of noise sources; engineering methods for small, movable sources in reverberant fields; part 1: comparison method in hard-walled test rooms
ISO 3744:1994 Acoustics - Determination of sound power levels of noise sources using sound pressure - Engineering method in an essentially free field over a reflecting plane
ISO 3745:2003 Acoustics - Determination of sound power levels of noise sources using sound pressure - Precision methods for anechoic and hemi-anechoic rooms
ISO 3747:2000 Acoustics - Determination of sound power levels of noise sources using sound pressure - Comparison method in situ
ISO 3864-2:2004 Graphical symbols - Safety colours and safety signs - Part 2: Design principles for product safety labels
ISO 4183:1995 Belt drives - Classical and narrow V-belts - Grooved pulleys (system based on datum width)
ISO 4871:1996 Acoustics - Declaration and verification of noise emission values of machinery and equipment
ISO 4915:1991 Textiles; stitch types; classification and terminology
ISO 4916:1991 Textiles; seam types; classification and terminology
ISO 8239:1987 Sewing machines needles; Fitting dimensions; Tolerances and combinations
ISO 9614-1:1993 Acoustics; determination of sound power levels of noise sources using sound intensity; part 1: measurement at discrete points
ISO 9614-2:1996 Acoustics - Determination of sound power levels of noise sources using sound intensity - Part 2: Measurement by scanning