Machinery Safety

The Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC applies to complete and partly completed machinery. Depending on other directives, such as the EMC Directive or the RoHS Directive, it forms the basis for CE marking. The fulfillment of the requirements of the Machinery Directive is illustrated by the so-called presumption of conformity. This is the case if the relevant harmonized standards listed in the Official Journal of the Machinery Directive are met in full.

The Machinery Directive requires a risk assessment to be carried out for each machine before it is placed on the market. The essential health and safety requirements that apply to the machinery must be considered and, if necessary, risk reduction measures must be taken.

The Machinery Directive also applies to safety components. These are listed as examples in Annex V of the directive.

Note: The Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC will be replaced by the new Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230. This came into force on July 19, 2023 and is binding after the 42-month transition period, from January 20, 2027 (effective date regulation).