Safety
Allen-Bradley GuardLogix Safety and CompactLogix 5380
Apply machinery safety and program Rockwell GuardLogix safety controllers in Studio 5000, with light curtains and laser scanners.
Allen-Bradley GuardLogix Safety and CompactLogix 5380 is a free, self-paced online course from EDWartens for engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in machine building and automation. It has 7 modules and takes about 8 hours, with written notes, a practice task per module, a practical project and a final assessment of 15 questions (pass mark 60%). Learning costs nothing and needs only a free account. The optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, verifiable by code, is a one-off US$28.99 for you; it is not a vendor credential. Updated 1 November 2026.
- Free
- Intermediate
- 8 hours
- Self-paced
- Certificate optional
- Lab practice in your browser
No card, no trial. The course is free for good. Certificate US$28.99, optional.
- Who it is for
- Engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in machine building and automation
- Jobs
- Roles that use this skill: safety systems engineer, functional safety engineer, machine safety specialist and commissioning engineer. No course guarantees a job.
- Tools
- Studio 5000 Logix Designer, which is paid Rockwell software with no public trial: use a work or college licence. Every calculation and design exercise can be done on paper. Hardware: none required.
- Updated
After this course you can
By the end you will be able to:
- Select safety relays and apply machinery safety principles
- Install and align light curtains, cable-pull switches and laser scanners
- Configure GuardLink and GuardLogix safety I/O
- Share safety data between controllers with produce/consume
- Manage safety signatures and version control
Who it is for, and what you need first
Who it is for
Engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in machine building and automation.
Level: Intermediate. Intermediate. The free Studio 5000 course is assumed.
What you need
Software: Studio 5000 Logix Designer, which is paid Rockwell software with no public trial: use a work or college licence. Every calculation and design exercise can be done on paper..
Hardware: None required.. What to download, and how.
How this course works
Watch the lessons
Short video lessons, one module at a time, at your own pace.
Read the notes
Open the Reading tab for the written notes and diagrams of the module.
Practise in the 3D labOptional
Try the module in the free 3D lab, in your browser.
Check yourself
Answer the questions to see what stuck before you move on.
Final assessment
Pass the final once you have been through the modules.
Certificate, if you want oneOptional
Optional, with a page anyone can use to verify it.
What you learn
7 modules in order, at your own pace. 8 hours of video lessons, with written notes and a practice task in each module.
- 1Machinery Safety, Safebook 5 and Safety Relays, with lab practice: 34m
- 2Safety Devices: Light Curtains, Cable-Pull Switches and Laser Scanners, with lab practice: 49m
- 3GuardLink Smart Safety, with lab practice: 48m
- 4GuardLogix with the SafeZone 3 Laser Scanner29m
- 5The Safety Task, Produce/Consume, Signatures and Version Control27m
- 6CompactLogix and Compact GuardLogix 5380 with Compact 5000 I/O39m
- 7Final Assessment
Software you need
What to download, where from, what it costs and how to install it. Every link goes to the maker's own site, never a mirror.
Show what to download (1 tool)
Required
- 01Paid only
Studio 5000 Logix Designer
Rockwell Automation
- Runs on
- Windows (check the Studio 5000 entry on the Product Compatibility and Download Center for exact versions)
- Account
- A Rockwell Automation account plus a purchased licence (serial number or subscription)
Rockwell sells Studio 5000 Logix Designer as a perpetual licence or a paid subscription. Rockwell's product page offers no public free trial or free edition.
Steps
- 1.If your employer or college has a Studio 5000 licence, ask for access and the serial number.
- 2.Sign in to the Rockwell Product Compatibility and Download Center and search for Studio 5000 Logix Designer.
- 3.Download the version that matches your controller firmware.
- 4.Install it as administrator and activate the licence with FactoryTalk Activation Manager.
- 5.If you have no licence, use one of the free Rockwell tools listed below instead.
- Match the Logix Designer major version to the controller firmware you will use.
Rockwell Automation product pagerockwellautomation.comLegitimate free routes
- Connected Components Workbench Standard Edition: Free. Programs Micro800 controllers and includes a demo Micro800 Simulator.
- FactoryTalk Design Workbench: Free Rockwell tool for Micro800 controllers, listed with the free downloads on PCDC.
- RSLogix Micro Starter Lite: Free edition for MicroLogix 1000 and 1100.
- FactoryTalk Design Studio free trial: Rockwell's cloud-based Logix design software with a free 90-day trial in the browser.
- Rockwell Automation training: Instructor-led Studio 5000 courses; an employer licence is the other legitimate route.
Checked against each maker's own page on 27 September 2026. Trial lengths and editions change; the maker's page is the final word.
Practise in the 3D lab
Prove on a robot cell that the E-stops, gate and light curtain stop the arm and need a reset, the same checks a safety task has to give you.
- Safe startRobotics lab, about 15 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Safe start
- Safety validationRobotics lab, about 25 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Safety validation
Optional. Skip it whenever you like: it never blocks your progress or your certificate.
Course project, about 14 hours
Two-station robotic weld cell: Compact GuardLogix 5380 safety from risk register to validation
Design and document the safety system of a two-station robotic weld cell on a Compact GuardLogix 5380. You write the risk register, the SRS, the I/O list and the safety program as DCS and CROUT logic. Then you write a FAT record and a validation report. Everything can be done on paper, and Studio 5000 is optional.
- 5documents in the pack
- 8steps to follow
- Laboptional: in the 3D lab
- 5things to hand in
- 14 hof work, at your pace
- Risk registerRisk Assessment Register: Weld Cell 11, Line 3 (ISO 12100 / ISO 10218-2)
- SRSSafety Requirements Specification: Weld Cell 11
- I/O listI/O List: Panel CP-C11 (safety and standard I/O)
- FATFactory Acceptance Test Record: Panel CP-C11 and Safety Program
- Test reportValidation Report to ISO 13849-2: Weld Cell 11
Do it in the lab: 5 steps.
The project is optional practice. The certificate needs only the modules and the final assessment.
After the course, your next step
Show what you can do, then keep going in the same field.
A certificate you can verify
Finish the modules and pass the final assessment (15 questions, pass mark 60%) and you can add a certificate with a public verification page. One-off, US$28.99 for you. It is not a vendor credential.
Want a free certificate? Do the matching Free internship: 4 weeks, nothing to buy, with a free certificate of completion.
PLC Programming
Eight short weeks of PLC ladder logic on free simulators: notes, diagrams, a few videos and auto-tested tasks. Finish weeks 1 to 4 and the final, then claim a free Internship Completion Certificate with your real dates and study hours, and a QR code anyone can scan to verify it. Training, not employment.
See the internshipMore free courses
Roles that use this skill
- Safety systems engineer
- Functional safety engineer
- Machine safety specialist
- Commissioning engineer
These are the kinds of roles where the skill is used. We make no promise of a job or an interview.
Plain notes
- Free: the whole course, the notes, the practice tasks, the final assessment and support from practising engineers.
- Paid, and optional: the course certificate, and the Engineer-verified internship (the Free internship costs nothing).
- No job promise: the course teaches a skill. It does not place you in a job.
- Lessons by: Rockwell Automation. Independent creators; the lessons stream from their own channels. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, practice tasks and assessments.
Rockwell Automation · Rockwell Automation. If you are one of these creators and want a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@edwartens.com.
Practise what you learn in the free 3D lab
Technical work is judged on what you can do: wiring, commissioning, finding a fault. Doing a task yourself teaches more than watching it a second time, and a lab lets you try it safely before you meet real equipment. It does not replace working on real hardware.
- Practise safely, so a mistake costs nothing.
- The lab checks your work like a site test, so you know when it is right.
- Free, in your browser, with nothing to install.
Why learn with EDWartens
What you get with this course, and what comes after it.
- Free from the first lesson to the final assessment.
- Practice in a free 3D lab in your browser, with nothing to install.
- Video lessons with written notes and a project.
- An optional certificate that anyone can verify online.
- Free internships to keep practising afterwards.
Common questions
Is this the Rockwell equivalent of the Siemens safety course?
Yes: GuardLogix, GuardLink and Guardmaster devices instead of F-CPUs and F-modules; the safety principles are the same.
Why is CompactLogix 5380 included?
It is the controller most new GuardLogix-capable machines ship with, and the Rockwell playlist covers its I/O and migration in the same short-video style.
Is it long?
No: about four hours of Rockwell's own videos plus the notes, practice tasks and one final assessment.
Is the Allen-Bradley GuardLogix Safety and CompactLogix 5380 course really free?
Yes. Every module, practice task and assessment. You create an account so your progress is saved and the assessments can be marked. The certificate is the only paid item, and only if you want it.
What certificate do I get, and is it a vendor qualification?
An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you pass the final assessment, with a verification code anyone can check. It is not a vendor credential and is never described as one.
Who made the video lessons in the Allen-Bradley GuardLogix Safety and CompactLogix 5380 course?
The creators named in the Credits block at the foot of this page, on their own YouTube channels. EDWartens did not make the videos and the creators are not affiliated with EDWartens. What EDWartens wrote is the study plan, the notes, the practice tasks and the assessments.
Do I need GuardLogix hardware?
No hardware is needed. The configuration exercises need Studio 5000 Logix Designer, which Rockwell sells with no public trial, so use a work or college licence if you have one; the risk assessment, safety distance and timing problems are all worked on paper.
Do I have to use the lab?
No. The lab is optional practice. You can skip it whenever you like, and it never blocks your progress, the final assessment or your certificate.
Is the lab free?
Yes. Every lab level for this course opens in your browser, free, with nothing to install.
What topics does the Allen-Bradley GuardLogix Safety and CompactLogix 5380 course cover, module by module?
The Allen-Bradley GuardLogix Safety and CompactLogix 5380 course has 7 modules. It opens with "Machinery Safety, Safebook 5 and Safety Relays", goes through "Safety Devices: Light Curtains, Cable-Pull Switches and Laser Scanners", "GuardLink Smart Safety", "The Safety Task, Produce/Consume, Signatures and Version Control" and "CompactLogix and Compact GuardLogix 5380 with Compact 5000 I/O" and ends with "Final Assessment". The full list with minutes is under "What you learn" on this page.
What can I do after the Allen-Bradley GuardLogix Safety and CompactLogix 5380 course?
After the Allen-Bradley GuardLogix Safety and CompactLogix 5380 course: Apply Safebook 5 principles and select safety relays; Install light curtains, cable-pull switches and laser scanners; Configure GuardLink and GuardLogix safety I/O. These are the practical outcomes the course is written around, and the final assessment of 15 questions checks them.
What software and hardware do I need for the Allen-Bradley GuardLogix Safety and CompactLogix 5380 course, and does it cost anything?
For the Allen-Bradley GuardLogix Safety and CompactLogix 5380 course, software: Studio 5000 Logix Designer, which is paid Rockwell software with no public trial: use a work or college licence. Every calculation and design exercise can be done on paper. Hardware: none required. The course itself is free.
Is the Allen-Bradley GuardLogix Safety and CompactLogix 5380 course suitable for me, and what level is it?
Allen-Bradley GuardLogix Safety and CompactLogix 5380 is rated intermediate. Intermediate. The free Studio 5000 course is assumed. It is written for engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in machine building and automation, and takes about 8 hours at your own pace.
Which jobs use the skills from the Allen-Bradley GuardLogix Safety and CompactLogix 5380 course?
Skills from the Allen-Bradley GuardLogix Safety and CompactLogix 5380 course (for example: apply Safebook 5 principles and select safety relays) are used in roles such as safety systems engineer, functional safety engineer, machine safety specialist and commissioning engineer, and in functional safety engineer work. The course gives you practical evidence of the skill; it does not promise a job, and employers decide on experience and interview.
Start free today
Allen-Bradley GuardLogix Safety and CompactLogix 5380, at your own pace. Add the certificate only if you want one.