The growing interest in the subject of safety prompted PLCopen to establish a Safety Task Force and hold a kickoff meeting. The aim of this working group is the development of standardized IEC 61131-3 libraries for PLC programs for safetyrelevant applications. During the first meeting, held on April 29 at the Beckhoff headquarters in Germany, the discussions focused on what function blocks such a library should include – for example two-hand or protective door switches – Eelco van der Wal, General Manager of PLCopen, welcomed representatives from Bosch Rexroth, Elau, KW Software, Lenze, Omron, Rockwell Automation, Sick, Siemens and Beckhoff. The next meeting will take place on June 23, 2003 at Siemens in Erlangen/Germany.
