home | contact

machinery directive

 

CElogo
The Machinery Directive covers any item of equipment, domestic, commercial or industrial that has parts actuated by a power source other than manual effort. Exceptions include machines where risks are wholly covered by other Directives such as the Low Voltage Directive (73/23/EEC)

 


introduction

 

From the 1st January 1995, machines supplied within the European Economic Area (EEA) must satisfy wide-ranging health and safety requirements on construction, moving parts and stability. In some cases, machinery must be subjected to type examination by an approved body. Machinery of a particularly hazardous nature listed in Annexe IV, must be submitted to an approved body to undertake full tests or where transposed harmonised European Standards exist, verify from the technical file that they have been correctly applied.


The European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) is working to produce standards at three levels in support of the Machinery Directive. The first level (A) covers the general principal of design such as EN292 (Mechanical Design) and EN 60204 (Electrical Design). The second level (B) covers specific safety devices such as EN418 (Emergency Stop Equipment). The third level (C) covers specific classes of machinery such as EN 60204-31 (sewing Machines). See Department of Trade and Industry web site for more detailed information.

Contact us