ISO 10218-2:2025 – Robot Cell Safety Requirements

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ISO 10218-2:2025 is the current global safety standard for robot cells and robot applications. It sets the rules for how factories set up, run and maintain robots on the shop floor. It replaces ISO 10218-2:2011, which ISO has withdrawn.

Factories, plant owners and integrators use this standard worldwide. Global Certification Services (GCS) helps them apply it across the regions we serve.

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What Is ISO 10218-2:2025?

The full title is “Robotics — Safety requirements — Part 2: Industrial robot applications and robot cells.” ISO published this second edition on 5 February 2025. ISO/TC 299 Robotics develops and maintains it. Read our ISO/TC 299 Robotics Standards guide.

The standard covers the whole robot cell, not just the robot arm. That includes the task, the tools, the workpiece and every machine around the robot. ISO 10218-1:2025 covers the robot itself. Together, the two parts give you a full picture of robot safety.

Is ISO 10218-2:2011 Still Valid?

No. ISO withdrew ISO 10218-2:2011 when it published the 2025 edition.

Some contracts or customer specs may still name the 2011 edition. If yours do, check what your buyer or local rules actually require. ISO itself sets no legal deadline to switch.

What Is a Robot Application?

A robot application is more than the robot. It includes the robot system, the workpiece, the task program and every machine that supports the task.

The 2025 edition looks at the whole task, not just the hardware. The same robot doing a different job carries a different risk. A robot that moves from welding to palletising needs a fresh risk review. The task drives the safety design, not the robot model.

What Does ISO 10218-2:2025 Cover?

ISO 10218-2:2025 covers the full life of a robot cell:

Design and integration
Commissioning (start-up)
Daily operation
Maintenance
Decommissioning and disposal
Integration of machines and components
Information for use at every stage

What Does ISO 10218-2:2025 Not Cover?

The standard does not apply to robots used:

Underwater
In military, defence or law enforcement work
In the air or in space
In medical work, personal healthcare or prosthetics
As service robots that the public can access
As household or consumer products
To lift or carry people
As multi-purpose lifting machines, such as cranes or forklifts

It also leaves out some hazards. These include airborne noise, hygiene needs, explosive or nuclear sites, and hazards from processing materials such as food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals or metal. It does not cover robots mounted on mobile platforms or driverless trucks, or loads such as molten metal and acids.

ISO Standards

What Changed in ISO 10218-2:2025?

The 2025 edition is a major update. It moves the safety focus from the robot to the full robot application. It also pulls in guidance that used to sit in separate documents.

Focus on the Robot Application

Integrators now design and check safety at the application level. The task, the workpiece and all supporting machines belong in the risk assessment.

Collaborative Applications, Not Collaborative Robots

“Collaborative” now describes the application, not the robot. Only a full application can be designed and validated as collaborative. A cobot label on its own proves nothing.

Content From ISO/TS 15066

Most of the rules from ISO/TS 15066:2016 now sit inside ISO 10218-2:2025. These cover power and force limiting, speed and separation monitoring, and hand guiding. See our ISO/TS 15066 guide ISO/TS 15066 page

End-Effectors and Load/Unload Stations

The main text now sets clear rules for grippers, tools and manual load/unload stations. These rules draw on guidance that used to sit in ISO/TR 20218-1 and ISO/TR 20218-2.

Cybersecurity That Affects Safety

You must now assess cyber risks that could cause unsafe robot movement or switch off a safety device. The standard covers cybersecurity only where it directly affects safety.

Normal Stop Safety Function

The 2025 edition defines a normal stop safety function. It gives the robot a safe, predictable way to stop during regular work, not just in emergencies.

Topic	ISO 10218-2:2011 (Withdrawn)	ISO 10218-2:2025 (Current)
Safety focus	Robot system	Full robot application
Collaborative rules	Separate document (ISO/TS 15066:2016)	Mostly built into the standard
End-effector and load station rules	Separate ISO/TR 20218 reports	Built into the main text
Cybersecurity	Not covered	Covered where it affects safety
Normal stop function	Not defined	Defined
Status	Withdrawn	Current, published February 2025

Want to know how these changes affect your robot cells? Ask the GCS team.

What ISO 10218-2:2025 Means for Your Factory

Buying a New Robot Cell

Ask your integrator to confirm the cell meets the 2025 edition. Request the risk assessment, the safety function list and the information for use in the handover pack. Automotive plants can see related support on our ISO certification for automotive industry page.

Changing an Existing Cell

A change to the task, layout or tooling can change the risk, even when the robot stays the same. Plan a new risk assessment for each change. Never assume the original safety design still holds.

Maintenance and Restart

Maintenance can expose workers to hazards that guards normally block. Clear steps for lockout, restart and re-checks keep your technicians safe before and after the work.

Training Operators and Technicians

Workers need to know how the safeguarding around their cell works. Training should cover safe zones, protective devices and what to do when a safety function trips. Logistics and warehouse teams can find related support on our ISO certification for transport and logistics page.

Who Is Responsible for Robot Cell Safety?

ISO 10218-2:2025 speaks mainly to the integrator. A factory that builds or changes its own cell may take on that role. Three groups share the duty.

Robot Manufacturer

The manufacturer builds the robot to ISO 10218-1:2025. It supplies safety function data and information for use. Its duty covers the robot, not the cell. Read our ISO 10218-1:2025 page.

System Integrator

The integrator designs and builds the cell. It runs the task-based risk assessment, sets up safeguarding and validates the full application. It answers for the finished cell at handover.

Factory or End User

The factory runs and maintains the cell. It follows the information for use, keeps every safeguard in place and controls changes. A factory that modifies the cell may take on the integrator’s duties for that change.

New tasks, tools, payloads or layouts can all raise the risk level. Agree each role clearly in your contracts. This page does not give legal advice on liability.

ISO 10218-2:2025 and Collaborative Applications

In a collaborative application, a person and a robot share the same space at the same time. The 2025 edition builds on these collaborative methods:

Hand guiding: a person moves the robot directly by hand
Speed and separation monitoring: the robot slows or stops as a person comes closer
Power and force limiting: the robot limits the force and pressure it can apply
Monitored standstill: the robot holds still while a person works in the shared space (earlier documents called this a safety-rated monitored stop)

You can combine methods in one application. Choose and validate each method for the specific task. A robot sold as “collaborative” is not safe for every job by default. The task, the space and the tools decide safety together.

ISO/TS 15066:2016 remains published, but ISO has flagged it for revision. Most of its guidance now lives in ISO 10218-2:2025.

ISO 10218-1:2025 vs ISO 10218-2:2025

The two parts work together but cover different things:

ISO 10218-1:2025 covers the robot itself: its design, safety functions and construction
ISO 10218-2:2025 covers the robot application and cell: layout, safeguarding, integration and use
Main users: robot makers use Part 1; integrators and factories use Part 2
The link: you need robot data from Part 1 to finish the Part 2 risk assessment

A robot built to Part 1 does not make a safe cell on its own. The cell still needs to meet Part 2.

Key Safety Topics in ISO 10218-2:2025

Task-Based Risk Assessment

Every cell needs a risk assessment built around its real task. It covers the robot system, workpiece, task program and supporting machines. A generic checklist is not enough. The method follows ISO 12100, and safety-related controls follow ISO 13849-1:2023.

Cell Layout and Safeguarding

The layout sets the safeguarded space. You may use interlocked guards, protective devices or both. The right choice depends on the task and the risk level.

Safety Functions

Safety functions protect people during normal work and unexpected events. Verify each one, including the normal stop, for every robot application.

End-Effectors and Workpieces

Grippers, tools and workpieces can add hazards such as pinch points or dropped loads. Assess them as part of the full application.

Manual Load/Unload Stations

Where workers load or unload parts by hand, the station often needs extra safeguarding. Options include light curtains, interlocked guards or lower robot speeds near the station.

Verification and Validation

Verification checks that the team built the cell as designed. Validation confirms the finished application is safe for its real task. You need both steps before the cell goes into use.

Information for Use

The robot maker and the integrator must supply clear documents. These include safety function data, maintenance steps and any limits on how you can use the cell.

Can a Robot Cell Be Certified to ISO 10218-2?

Not as a management system certificate. ISO 10218-2:2025 is a safety standard, and ISO itself never issues certificates.

Some accredited third-party bodies offer inspection or conformity assessment for robot cells. GCS is not one of those bodies.

GCS offers practical support instead: readiness assessments, gap reviews and help with risk assessment records. We also support ISO 45001 certification for occupational health and safety and ISO 9001 certification for quality management. Both matter for factories that run robot cells.

Do Existing Robot Cells Need to Meet ISO 10218-2:2025?

It depends. ISO sets no legal deadline to update existing cells. Review your cells when you:

Change the task, program or end-effector
Change the layout or add new machines
Win a customer or tender that names the 2025 edition
Face a local rule that cites the current standard

Keep a written record of each decision. If a customer or regulator asks why you used a certain edition, that record answers the question.

How to Apply ISO 10218-2:2025 to a Robot Cell

This is a practical summary, not an official ISO process.

1. Get the Official 2025 Text

Buy the standard from iso.org. You also need ISO 10218-1:2025 for robot safety function data.

2. Define the Application and Tasks

List the robot system, workpiece, task program and every supporting machine. Be specific, because safety design starts here.

3. Collect Robot Data From ISO 10218-1:2025

Get the robot’s safety function data from the manufacturer. It feeds straight into your risk assessment.

4. Run a Task-Based Risk Assessment

Find the hazards for each task and operating mode. Include normal work, maintenance, changeover and any collaborative scenarios.

5. Choose Safeguards and Safety Functions

Select guards, protective devices and safety functions that match the risk level. Confirm the cell includes the normal stop function.

6. Verify and Validate the Cell

Check that the team built the cell as designed. Then confirm the full application is safe for its real task.

7. Prepare Manuals, Training and Records

Write clear information for use. Train operators and technicians. Keep a record of every risk assessment and change.

Request a Robot Cell Safety Gap Review

ISO 10218-2:2025 and Global Regulations

ISO 10218-2:2025 is an international standard, not a law. Local rules vary, and some buyers and regions expect the 2025 edition.

European Union: The EU Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 applies from January 2027. Factories and integrators serving Europe should align with the 2025 edition before then.
North America: The US adopts ISO 10218 as ANSI/A3 R15.06-2025, and Canada as CSA Z434.
GCC, Middle East, Africa, Central Asia and Asia: Buyers and regulators often cite current ISO standards in tenders, technical files and site checks.

The standard alone does not guarantee legal compliance in every market. GCS helps factories in all the countries we serve see how it fits local rules.

Robot Cell Safety Checklist

Use this list as a starting point. It does not replace a full risk assessment.

You defined the robot application, including workpiece and task program
You collected robot safety function data from the manufacturer
You agreed roles between manufacturer, integrator and factory
You completed a task-based risk assessment
You marked the safeguarded space and tested every guard and protective device
You verified the normal stop and every other safety function
You validated any collaborative method you use
You assessed end-effectors, tools and manual load/unload stations
You reviewed cybersecurity risks that affect safety
You documented maintenance and restart steps and trained your team
You run a change process for future updates
Your contracts and specs name the current edition

How GCS Supports ISO 10218-2:2025

Global Certification Services (GCS) helps factories, plant owners and integrators work through ISO 10218-2:2025 with structured, practical support.

GCS is not ISO, not a robot cell certification body and not a test lab. We are an ISO consulting and management system certification support provider. Our ISO 10218-2:2025 services include:

Applicability guidance: which parts of the standard apply to your cell
2011 to 2025 gap review: your current setup compared with the new edition
Risk assessment support: clear, task-based records
Readiness assessments: a review of your cells before a customer or regulator checks them
ISO 45001 and ISO 9001 support: management system certification for factories that need it

We serve factories and integrators across the GCC, Middle East, Africa, Europe, Central Asia and Asia. We give plain, structured guidance and handle documents, readiness and certification in one place.

Make Your Robot Cells Ready for ISO 10218-2:2025

Robot cell safety runs from the first design step through every change and maintenance task. The 2025 edition raises the bar, but the right support makes the work manageable. GCS reviews your cells, finds the gaps and helps you build the records you need.

Discuss Your Robot Cell Safety Needs

ISO 10218-2:2025 FAQs

What is ISO 10218-2:2025?

ISO 10218-2:2025 is the international safety standard for industrial robot applications and robot cells. It covers the full cell life cycle, from design and commissioning to operation, maintenance and disposal. ISO published it on 5 February 2025 as the second edition, and it replaced the withdrawn 2011 edition.

What changed in ISO 10218-2:2025?

The 2025 edition moves the safety focus from the robot to the full robot application. It absorbs most collaborative rules from ISO/TS 15066 and adds clear rules for end-effectors and manual load stations. It also adds cybersecurity rules where an attack could cause harm, plus a normal stop safety function.

What is a robot application?

A robot application is the robot system plus the workpiece, the task program and every machine that supports the task. Integrators design and check safety at this level under ISO 10218-2:2025. So the same robot can need a new risk assessment when it moves from welding to palletising, even with no hardware change.

What is the difference between ISO 10218-1 and ISO 10218-2?

ISO 10218-1:2025 covers the robot itself, including its design, safety functions and user information. ISO 10218-2:2025 covers the robot application and the cell around it, including layout, guarding and integration. Integrators need robot data from Part 1 to complete the Part 2 risk assessment, so most projects use both.

Does ISO 10218-2:2025 replace ISO/TS 15066?

Mostly. ISO 10218-2:2025 now holds most ISO/TS 15066 requirements, including power and force limiting, speed and separation monitoring and hand guiding. ISO/TS 15066:2016 remains published, but ISO has flagged it for revision, and ISO/AWI 15066-1 is in development. Use ISO 10218-2:2025 as your main reference for collaborative applications.

Who is responsible for robot cell safety?

Three groups share it. The robot manufacturer answers for the robot under ISO 10218-1:2025. The integrator designs, safeguards and validates the cell. The factory runs and maintains the cell and controls changes. A factory that changes the task, tooling or layout may take on the integrator’s duties for that change.

How can GCS help with ISO 10218-2:2025?

GCS reviews your current robot cells and runs a gap review against the 2025 edition. Our team helps you build task-based risk assessment records and prepares you for customer or regulator checks. We also support ISO 45001 and ISO 9001 certification for factories that need management system certification alongside cell safety.