Robot safety standards for buyers: ISO 10218, R15.08 and EU rules

Robot safety standards were largely rewritten between 2023 and 2026, and the EU's new Machinery Regulation applies from January 20, 2027. If you are buying robot arms, cobots, autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) or driverless forklifts, you need to know which standards apply, who carries which duty under them, and what evidence to ask a vendor for. This guide covers the US, the EU and the UK as of October 2026.

Why the standards matter

Robots remove people from some hazards and create others. A study in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine counted 41 robot-related deaths at work in the US from 1992 to 2017. Most involved stationary robots, 78% involved a robot striking the worker while operating under its own power, and many of those happened during maintenance ^[1]. An analysis of OSHA severe injury reports from 2015 to 2022 found 54 accidents involving stationary robots, mainly causing finger amputations, and 23 involving mobile robots, mainly causing leg and foot fractures ^[2]. The standards below are how manufacturers, integrators and users are expected to control those hazards. Our manufacturing and warehousing and logistics chapters cover the wider context.

Industrial robots and cobots: ISO 10218 and R15.06

ISO 10218 is the core standard for industrial robots. It was revised in early 2025, replacing the 2011 edition ^[3]. Part 1 sets requirements for robot manufacturers. Part 2 sets requirements for integrators of robot applications and robot cells ^[3]. A3, the trade association that publishes US robot safety standards, says the changes include [3]:

• Functional safety requirements made explicit rather than implied.
• The content of ISO/TS 15066 on collaborative applications brought into the standard.
• Cybersecurity requirements where they affect robot safety, in Part 2.
• No more "collaborative robot". Only an application can be designed, tested and confirmed as collaborative.
• "Safety-rated monitored stop" renamed "monitored standstill".

The US adopted the revision as ANSI/A3 R15.06-2025, published in September 2025 ^[4]. A3 says it also adds guidance on end-effectors and manual loading, updated robot classes, and cybersecurity as part of safety planning, and that a Part 3 for users of robot cells would follow ^[4].

In the EU, the standards were adopted as EN ISO 10218-1:2025 and EN ISO 10218-2:2025. Their references were published in the Official Journal on September 7, 2026 by Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/2015, so they are now harmonised standards under the Machinery Directive ^[5][6]. Using a harmonised standard gives manufacturers a presumption of conformity with the requirements it covers.

For buyers, the practical change is the word "collaborative". A cobot arm is not safe to use without guarding just because the brochure calls it collaborative. Ask for the risk assessment and validation of your application, including the tool and the workpiece.

Mobile robots: R15.08, B56.5 and ISO 3691-4

ANSI/A3 R15.08 covers industrial mobile robots (IMRs) in three parts ^[7][8]:

• Part 1 defines IMRs and sets requirements for manufacturers ^[7].
• Part 2 (2023) sets requirements for integrators of IMR systems and applications. It defines three types: Type A is a mobile robot without attachments, Type B has attachments such as conveyors or lifts, and Type C carries a manipulator arm ^[7].
• Part 3 (ANSI/A3 R15.08-3-2026), announced on September 29, 2026, covers users. It gives requirements and guidance for risk assessment, management of change, employee training, and periodic reviews and inspections during day-to-day use ^[8].

One clause matters for every site: under Part 2, a user who modifies a mobile robot or system takes on the role of manufacturer or integrator for that change ^[7]. Moving racking, adding an attachment or changing routes can shift responsibility to you.

ANSI/ITSDF B56.5-2024 is the US safety standard for driverless automatic guided industrial vehicles and for automated functions of manned trucks. It took effect on December 16, 2025, replacing the 2019 edition ^[9]. It also applies to manned trucks later modified to run in automatic mode ^[9].

ISO 3691-4:2023 is the international standard for driverless industrial trucks and their systems ^[10].

Balancing robots. Robots that must actively balance, such as humanoids, have no finished standard. ISO 25785-1, on dynamically stable industrial mobile robots, is still a committee draft ^[11].

Who is responsible for what

Ask each supplier in writing which role it is taking. On many projects the robot maker, the integrator and the site are three different companies, and gaps appear between them.

The EU Machinery Regulation from January 20, 2027

Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 replaces the Machinery Directive. As corrected in July 2023, it applies from January 20, 2027 ^[12][13]. The European Commission expects to publish its first list of harmonised standards under the Regulation before the end of 2026 ^[14]. These points are from the official text:

• Third-party assessment for self-evolving safety functions. Annex I, Part A lists "safety components with fully or partially self-evolving behaviour using machine learning approaches ensuring safety functions" and machinery with embedded systems of that kind. These categories need a notified body ^[12]. Recital 55 says this applies only to systems that learn or evolve, not to fixed software that only executes programmed functions ^[12].
• Protection against corruption (Annex III, 1.1.9). Connecting another device, including a remote device, must not lead to a hazardous situation. Safety-critical software and data must be identified and protected, and the machine must collect evidence of legitimate or illegitimate intervention in that software or its configuration ^[12].
• Control systems (Annex III, 1.2.1). Control systems must withstand "reasonably foreseeable malicious attempts from third parties" that could create a hazard ^[12]. For machinery with self-evolving behavior, they must not act beyond their defined task and movement space, and data on safety-related decisions must be recorded and kept for one year ^[12].
• Autonomous mobile machinery (Annex III, 3.2.4 and 3.3). Where relevant, autonomous mobile machinery must have a supervisory function that lets a remote supervisor receive information and alerts and stop, start or move the machine to a safe position. If the supervisory function is not active, the machine must not be able to operate ^[12]. The machine must also either work in an enclosed zone with guards or protective devices, or have devices to detect people and obstacles nearby, or both, depending on the risk assessment ^[12].

The AI Act link. The Digital Omnibus on AI, Regulation (EU) 2026/1744, entered into force on July 27, 2026 according to Eurogip ^[15]. It moved the Machinery Regulation from Section A to Section B of Annex I of the AI Act, so the AI Act's technical high-risk requirements will not apply directly to machinery. Instead, the Commission must add them to the Machinery Regulation through a delegated act by August 2, 2028 ^[15][16]. Our article on the EU AI Act and workplace safety systems covers the wider timeline.

The United States and the UK

OSHA says there are currently no specific OSHA standards for the robotics industry ^[17]. It lists the general standards that apply, including machine guarding and the control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout) ^[18]. OSHA also notes that many robot accidents happen during non-routine work such as programming, maintenance, testing, setup or adjustment, when a worker may be inside the robot's working envelope ^[17].

Some customers ask for a field evaluation by a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL). Agility Robotics says its Digit humanoid passed an NRTL field evaluation at an e-commerce customer site in November 2025, and notes that such evaluations are site-specific ^[19]. Treat any NRTL field evaluation as evidence for the site it covered, not as a product certification for yours.

In the UK, HSE announced on June 10, 2026 that it would work with Automate UK and the Manufacturing Technology Centre on the first joint HSE and industry guidance on cobots. The first stage was due in summer 2026 ^[20]. We could not find it published as of October 6, 2026. HSE said there is no barrier to adoption in health and safety law, but a fear of non-compliance is limiting adoption ^[20].

Cybersecurity and supply chain

Cybersecurity is now part of robot safety in both ISO 10218 and the EU Regulation ^[3][12]. The risk is real: in September 2025 researchers disclosed a flaw in the Bluetooth Wi-Fi setup interface of several Unitree quadruped and humanoid robots that allowed a root-level takeover and could spread from robot to robot ^[21].

In the US, the FCC added foreign-produced "advanced robotic devices" to its Covered List on July 28, 2026. The definition covers mobile, networked robots over 4.4 pounds and excludes fixed, stationary industrial robots such as articulated arms ^[22]. Previously authorized models can still be sold and used, but only certain minor software and firmware changes are permitted under a waiver ^[22]. Ask where an AMR or quadruped is produced and how its updates will be authorized.

What to ask a vendor

• Conformity evidence. Which standards was the product assessed against (ISO 10218-1:2025, R15.08-1, B56.5-2024, ISO 3691-4), by whom, and can we see the certificate or test report?
• Roles. Who is the integrator under R15.08-2 or ISO 10218-2, and what user duties under R15.08-3 fall to us?
• EU sites. Will the product be conformity-assessed under the Machinery Regulation for delivery after January 20, 2027? Does it have a self-evolving safety function? How is the supervisory function implemented?
• Supervision. How many vehicles does one remote operator supervise? Third Wave Automation, for example, says one operator can typically manage up to ten forklifts ^[23]. What happens if the network drops?
• Cyber. What wireless interfaces are open by default, how are vulnerabilities patched, and what is the FCC Covered List status?
• Data. Can we export protective stops, near misses and incidents to our EHS system?

What to do next

• Map every robot and AMR on site to the standards above and record who acted as manufacturer, integrator and user.
• Buy R15.08-3 (and R15.06 Part 3 for robot cells) and set up management of change for layout and route changes.
• For EU deliveries after January 20, 2027, write Machinery Regulation conformity into purchase orders.
• Ask for certificates and test reports, not logos, and treat NRTL field evaluations as site-specific.
• Add robot cybersecurity and FCC Covered List status to your supplier questionnaire, and see our buying and piloting chapter for pilot criteria.