The Association for Advancing Automation (A3) reveals the release of ANSI/A3 R15.06-2025 American National Standard for Industrial Robots and Robot Systems – Safety Requirements. The updated standard is now available for instant purchase via A3 and represents the most important progress in industrial robot safety standards in more than ten years.
“This is more than a milestone in safety standardization. It’s a call to action,” said Jeff Burnstein, president of A3. “Publishing this safety standard is perhaps the most important thing A3 can do, as it directly impacts the safety of millions of people working in industrial environments around the world.”
This standard is available in protected PDF format and includes:
Part 1: Safety requirements for industrial robots
Part 2: Safety requirements for industrial robot applications and robot cells
Part 3, which will address safety requirements for users of industrial robot cells, is expected to be published later this year. Once available, it will be retroactively provided at no additional cost to anyone who purchases the full standard now.
R15.06 is the U.S. national adoption of ISO 10218 Parts 1 and 2 and is a revision of ANSI/RIA R15.06-2012*.
Key Enhancements in ANSI/A3 R15.06-2025:
- Clarified functional safety requirements that improve usability and compliance for manufacturers and integrators
- Integrated guidance for collaborative robot applications, consolidating ISO/TS 15066
- New content on end-effectors and manual load/unload procedures, derived from ISO/TR 20218-1 and ISO/TR 20218-2
- Updated robot classifications, with corresponding safety functions and test methodologies
- Cybersecurity guidance, now included as part of safety planning and implementation
- Refined terminology, including the replacement of “safety-rated monitored stop” with “monitored standstill” for broader technical accuracy
“This standard delivers clearer guidance, smarter classifications, and a roadmap for safety in the era of intelligent automation,” said Carole Franklin, director of standards development, robotics at A3. “It empowers manufacturers and integrators to design and deploy safer systems more confidently while supporting innovation without compromising human well-being.”