The European Union Machinery Directive, 2006/42/EU has a dual objective: to permit the free movement of machinery within the market while ensuring a high level of protection of health and safety.
“Machinery” is defined as: an assembly, fitted with or intended to be fitted with a drive system other than directly applied human or animal effort, consisting of linked parts or components, at least one of which moves, and which are joined together for a specific application.
The directive applies to machinery as well as interchangeable equipment, safety components, lifting accessories, chains/ropes/webbing, removable mechanical transmission devices and partly completed machinery.
Machinery that is covered by more specific directives is excluded from the scope. This includes:
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- • agricultural and forestall tractors;
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- • motor vehicles and their trailers;
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- • certain electric/electronic products
(such as household appliances or office equip)
At Professional Testing, our experience shows that the best place to start when applying this directive is with a Risk Assessment and Hazard Analysis. This is achieved by following the guidelines and requirements of EN ISO 12100, Safety of Machinery – General principles for design – Risk Assessment & Risk Reduction. Our team of experienced engineers can help you work through this standard and by utilizing engineering tools and produce a document that not only will aid in the overall design process for safety features of your products design, but also determine what appropriate design, test and evaluation standards to apply to the design and certification process. This Risk Assessment document will be the basis of your technical file for Declaration to the Machinery Directive.
There are many standards which can possibly apply to your product. Some of the common standards that we work with are:
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- EN 349 – Minimum gaps to avoid crushing of parts of the human body
- EN 842 – Visual Danger Signals
- EN 894 – Ergonomics requirements for the design of displays and control actuators
- EN 953 – General requirements for designing and construction of fixed and moveable guards
- EN 1299 – Vibration Isolation of Machines
- EN 4871 – Noise emission values of machinery
- EN 60204 – Electrical Safety of Machines
- EN ISO 12100 – General principles for design – Risk Assessment & Risk Reduction
- EN ISO 13489-1 – Safety Related parts of Control Systems
- EN 13850 – Emergency Stops