Technical Summary
Key takeaways:

The article shows that 2006/42/EC also governs components and accessories essential to the safe operation of machinery, and lists example products excluded from its scope.

  • The Machinery Directive 2006/42/EEC covers not only machinery, but also other products affecting the safety of its use
  • Safety components added independently: emergency stop switches, guards, detection and monitoring systems, barriers
  • Also included are chains, ropes, and webbing designed for lifting as part of lifting machinery or lifting accessories
  • Applies to partly completed machinery that requires further assembly or integration; documentation and assembly instructions are required, among other things.
  • It includes, among other things, detachable mechanical transmission devices, interchangeable equipment, and lifting accessories; it also specifies exclusions (e.g. weapons and transport).

The Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 May 2006 is a key legal act governing machinery safety in the European Union. Its primary purpose is to ensure a high level of health and safety protection for machinery users. However, the Directive covers not only machinery itself, but also a range of other products that are equally important for maintaining a safe working environment. In this article, we discuss the products that fall within the scope of the Directive even though they are not traditionally regarded as machinery.

Scope of the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC

The Machinery Directive lays down health and safety requirements not only for machinery, but also for other products that directly affect machine operation and safe use. It covers a range of components and devices which, although not machinery in the traditional sense, are essential to the safe and efficient functioning of machines and are closely linked to harmonized standards under the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC.

Products covered by the Directive other than machinery

  1. Safety components
    • Examples: Emergency stop devices, protective guards, hazard detection and monitoring systems, barriers.
      • Emergency stop devices: These devices allow a machine to be shut down quickly in the event of a hazard, minimizing the risk of accidents.
      • Protective guards: They protect operators from dangerous machine parts, such as moving elements, and their proper selection often depends on hazard identification in accordance with ISO 12100.
      • Hazard detection and monitoring systems: These include sensors and monitoring systems that detect potential hazards and can automatically stop the machine when necessary.
      • Barriers: Physical barriers that separate operators from hazardous machine zones, providing an additional layer of protection.
  2. Chains, ropes and webbing
    • Characteristics: Chains, ropes and webbing designed and manufactured for lifting as part of lifting machinery or lifting accessories. These components must be highly durable and resistant to wear to ensure safety during the lifting and transport of heavy loads.
    • Importance: They are critical to the safe and efficient operation of lifting machinery such as cranes and hoists. If they fail, the consequences can be catastrophic, so they must meet stringent quality and safety requirements.
  3. Partly completed machinery
    • Definition: Partly completed machinery means an assembly that is almost machinery but cannot by itself perform a specific application. A drive system is an example of partly completed machinery. These products require further assembly or integration with other components before they can be used.
    • Requirements: They must comply with specified procedures before being placed on the market, including technical documentation, assembly instructions, and the Declaration of Incorporation for partly completed machinery. The manufacturer must provide detailed information to enable the machinery to be safely completed and used.
  4. Removable mechanical transmission devices
    • Description: Removable mechanical transmission devices are components that transmit power between self-propelled machinery or tractors and other machines by coupling them at the first fixed bearing. These components enable flexible and efficient power transmission in various mechanical systems.
    • Examples: Universal joints, drive belts.
      • Universal joints: They make it possible to transmit power between components that may be slightly misaligned or rotate at different angles.
      • Drive belts: They transmit power between pulleys, allowing power transmission over longer distances and in different configurations.
  5. Interchangeable equipment
    • Definition: Interchangeable equipment means devices which, after a machine or tractor has been put into service, are assembled with that machine or tractor by the operator in order to change its function or assign a new function. These components allow machines to be quickly and easily adapted to different tasks.
    • Examples: Excavator buckets, various tool attachments fitted to drills.
      • Excavator buckets: They make it possible to carry out different types of earthmoving work, from excavation to material handling.
      • Tool attachments for drills: They enable a wide range of applications, from drilling to milling and tapping.
  6. Lifting accessories
    • Definition: Lifting accessories are components or equipment not attached to the lifting machine that make it possible to hold the load, positioned between the machine and the load or on the load itself. These components ensure the safe and efficient lifting and transport of loads.
    • Examples: Slings, hooks, lifting attachments.
      • Slings: Flexible straps or ropes used for lifting and transporting loads, which can be easily adapted to different load shapes and sizes.
      • Hooks and attachments: Components that allow loads to be securely fastened to lifting machines, ensuring stability during lifting.

Products excluded from the scope of the Directive

The Directive also excludes certain products from its scope. These include, among others:

  • Weapons, including firearms.
  • Air, water and rail transport vehicles, excluding machinery mounted on those means of transport.
  • Special equipment intended for use in fairgrounds or amusement parks.
  • Machinery designed specifically for military and police applications, which is often subject to other specific regulations.

Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC: The importance of compliance

Compliance with the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC is crucial for manufacturers because it ensures access to the EU market and guarantees that products are safe for users. The Directive sets out strict requirements for design, manufacture, and conformity assessment that must be met before a product is placed on the market. For end users, this means a lower risk of accidents and a higher level of health and safety protection. In practice, these obligations are closely connected with manufacturer responsibilities in the evolving regulatory framework.

A manufacturer that meets the Directive’s requirements may mark its products with the CE mark, which confirms compliance with European standards. This, in turn, builds trust among customers and business partners, supporting growth in the European market. For many companies, this culminates in CE certification of machinery and the preparation of the required compliance documentation.

Application in practice

In practice, applying Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC requires close cooperation between different departments and specialists. Industrial automation plays a key role in ensuring that machines and their components operate in line with the Directive’s requirements. Companies often use the services of industrial automation integrators and engineering outsourcing for the design and implementation of automation systems, especially where software and control solutions affect safety and require a safety-by-design approach in industrial software environments.

Safety audits and risk analysis according to EN ISO 12100 are key stages in the process of ensuring compliance with the Directive. Specialist design offices carry out a range of analyses such as structural strength calculations (FEA), DFMEA, and DFA so that, already at the stage of machine design or production line design, they can meet harmonized standards. Industrial machine construction consists of many different stages, all of which must conclude with the CE certification process and the issuance of the EC Declaration of Conformity.

Operating instructions and PLC programming are integral parts of the technical documentation. Proper preparation of these documents is essential to ensure that users can operate machinery covered by the Directive safely and efficiently. Production process automation and production automation are essential for achieving efficient and safe production lines. The use of advanced technologies and procedures in these areas helps not only to meet the Directive’s requirements, but also to improve overall performance and operational safety. Where existing equipment is already in service, compliance efforts may also involve adapting machines to minimum requirements.

Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC covers a broad range of products that are not machines themselves but are essential to their safe and efficient operation. Safety components, chains, ropes, belts, partly completed machinery, removable mechanical transmission devices, interchangeable equipment, and lifting accessories are integral elements that must meet specific requirements to ensure user safety. In more complex installations, this may also extend to understanding the dynamics of a coupled machine system.

Through these regulations, the European Union aims to create a safe and sustainable working environment, minimize the risk of accidents, and promote the highest safety standards in the machinery industry. The transition toward newer rules is also relevant, as outlined in the Regulation on Machinery 2023/1230/EU and its key changes.

Sources and further reading

What else does Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC regulate?

In addition to machinery, the Directive covers, among other things, safety components, chains, ropes and lifting straps, partly completed machinery, and accessories and equipment related to lifting or changing a machine’s function.

These are components that perform safety functions and are placed on the market independently, whose failure or malfunction jeopardizes the safety of persons. Examples include emergency stop devices, guards, hazard detection/monitoring systems, and fencing.

These are assemblies that are “partly completed machinery” but cannot by themselves perform a specific application (e.g. a drive system). They require further assembly or integration, along with the appropriate documentation and assembly instructions, before being placed on the market.

Yes, it covers lifting accessories (e.g., slings, hooks, clamps) as well as chains, ropes, and webbings designed for lifting as part of lifting machinery or lifting accessories.

The text lists, among other things, weapons, means of air, water and rail transport (except for machinery mounted on them), amusement park equipment, and machines designed specifically for the military and the police.

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