Machinery Directive (2006/42/EC)

The Directive 2006/42/EC is a revised version of the Machinery Directive, the first version of which was adopted in 1989. The new Machinery Directive was published on the 9th of June 2006, but it wasn’t applicable until the 29th of December 2009.

The Directive promotes harmonisation through a combination of mandatory health and safety requirements and voluntary harmonised standards. As overall, the purpose of the newly revised version is to clarify better and consolidate all provisions of the previous version of the Machinery Directive and improve its practical application.

Currently, the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC includes the following types of products:

• Machinery and interchangeable equipment
• Safety components and lifting accessories
• Removable mechanical transmission devices
• Ropes, webbing and chains
• And, machinery that is partially completed.

Now, outside of the scope of the Directive is the following equipment:

• Equipment used explicitly in fairgrounds and/or amusement parks
• Weapons, with the inclusion of firearms
• Means of transport, such as: forestry and agricultural tractors; motor vehicles and trailers covered by Council Directive 70/156/EEC; vehicles covered by Directive 2002/24/EC; vehicles meant for competing; air/water/rail means of transport, excluding any machinery mounted on them
• Any military and police machinery
• Any research machinery for temporary use in labs
• Mind winding gear
• Machinery equipment intended to move performers during artistic performances
• High-voltage equipment, such as switch and control gears, and transformers
• Safety components used as spare parts for replacing identical components in the original machinery
• Machinery equipment for nuclear purposes that, in the event of failure, can emit radioactivity
• Mobile offshore units and seagoing vessels, and any machinery mounted on them.
• Electrical and electronic equipment, such as: ordinary office machinery; electric motors; audio and video equipment; domestic household appliances; information technology equipment; and, low