In order to improve the safety of a machine, particularly a robot, such as a multiaxial or multiaxle industrial robot during the operation thereof, particularly in the presence of human beings, the invention provides a method for operating the machine, which is characterized in that at least one path section is traversed in monitored manner in a reference trip, that movement-characteristic operating values are continuously measured and stored as reference values and that during machine operation said operating values are also determined and compared with the stored reference values. The invention also relates to a device for performing the method.