How Tennant Helped Develop and Implement Global Robotic Cleaning Safety Standards

As robotic floor cleaning technologies become increasingly common in all types of facilities, the need for industry-wide safety standards is critical. From warehouses and hospitals to retail spaces and airports, robotic cleaning machines are streamlining operations and reducing labor needs. However, with their widespread adoption comes the need to ensure they operate safely. In this post, we're talking with Curtis Bender, Sr. Manager, Product Regulatory Affairs, about how the cleaning industry manufacturers worked together to develop global robotic cleaning machine safety standards.

What are the safety standards you helped develop for robotic cleaning machines?

There are two primary standards used for commercial and industrial robotic cleaning machines.

The first one, CSA 22.2 No. 336, published in 2018 for North America, was to address products that were currently on the market.

The following year, a very similar international standard was developed, IEC 63327.

Floor cleaning equipment manufacturers are expected to follow and implement these standards when developing and manufacturing new robotic equipment or testing existing robotic floor cleaning machines.

What was the process for identifying and implementing the safety standards for floor cleaning robots?

The safety standard committees are comprised of manufacturers within the industry in addition to other safety experts that are knowledgeable in testing and safety standard development.

The first one, CSA 22.2 No. 336, published in 2018 for North America, was to address products that were currently on the market.

The following year, a very similar international standard was developed, IEC 63327.

Floor cleaning equipment manufacturers are expected to follow and implement these standards when developing and manufacturing new robotic equipment or testing existing robotic floor cleaning machines.

The people that were brought in to address the questions are the same people currently on standards committees for non-robotic cleaning equipment. Brain Corporation, Tennant's robotics partner, also helped develop our safety standards. And they're a huge part of the standards committee.

I'm the chair of the U.S. Technical Harmonization committee, vice chair of the Canadian committee, and a member of other National and International Standards Committees.

A lot of large manufacturers--that are also competitors--collaborate to ensure our industry is developing appropriate standards.

What are the safety standards for robotic cleaning machines?

The standards for robotic machines address safe operation of the machine in three categories:

• Obstacle detection: detecting not only physical obstacles but also negative obstacles like cliffs or stairs.
• Speed: Ensuring the machine is operating at a speed that allows it to safely navigate obstacles.
• Stopping: Ensuring the machine can stop if an obstacle enters its path.

We developed levels of safety that those types of systems need to meet to operate safely, which was very technical information.

All the manufacturers involved were very interested in making sure we developed a standard that ensured our products are safe for our customers, and was also realistic to meet.

When the requirements were initially developed, were there products on the market that were not using these safety standards for compliance?

Yes. A lot of the requirements that were written into the safety standards would force a manufacturer to prove the machine was safe to operate and that it was tested to the standard.

This proof gives the end user and the manufacturer comfort in knowing they've complied with requirements that are known within the industry from a safety perspective.

Why are these standards important for the cleaning industry?

It’s important for manufacturers to produce a product to the generally accepted safety standards within its industry.

I think more important to customers is that they can be sure they're buying a product that’s proven to be safe, not only from Tennant's internal testing and compliance, but also externally by a third party. That builds a lot of confidence, especially with a product that is operating without an operator.

Safety standards are also good for our industry. Cleaning equipment manufacturers are rather unique because we have such a broad product range; which includes not only robotic cleaners, but also smaller vacuum cleaners and larger ride-on sweepers and scrubbers. We all must work together from a safety point of view. Our industry is mostly self-regulated and ensures standards are developed so the products on the market are safe.

What were some of the challenges you faced in developing these standards across the industry and globally?

Because there were products on the market, our first and foremost need was to develop a standard as quickly as possible.

We worked with CSA, a standards development organization that had a flexible standards development process that allowed us to work quickly, but ensured we weren’t missing any critical components of the safety standards.

From the technical aspect, one challenge was that we all had to agree on the risks associated with operating a machine in the types of environments that a cleaning machine typically operates in.

We had times where we put people in a room and said, “you can't come out until you figure this out,” so, those were some long weeks and long nights, but we got it done.

How do these standards help protect the equipment users and people who may encounter robotic cleaning machines?

It certainly helps the customer, and the end user, feel confident they have a product that’s certified by a third party, but is also something they can rely on; that if someone asks them a question about how safe it is, they can give them an answer.

If a regulatory authority came into a building of a Tennant customer, they could answer the questions by showing them the safety documentation we provide that states the product is certified or tested to the most appropriate safety standards--and those standards are agreed upon within the industry.

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