Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC
Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, in effect since 29/12/2009, and the CE marking described therein are a compulsory requirement for marketing machinery within the European Union. Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC requires that manufacturers affix the CE marking to the machines they produce and that they draw up the declaration of conformity to certify compliance with the essential health and safety requirements defined in the Directive itself. The Directive also applies to safety components that are placed on the market separately.
ECO Certificazioni is Notified Body n. 0714, authorized by the Ministry of Economic Development in agreement with the Ministry of Labor to issue the CE Certificate for the product examined or for the series (of the same type) for all machinery included in Annex IV.
ECO is also active in the field of certification of protection structures including ROPS, TOPS, FOPS, Front guard (such as cabins and roll bars), and performing destructive tests on prototypes according to the harmonized technical standards of the Machinery Directive.
ECO has professional technicians who, thanks to their high level of competence, training and preparation, guarantee the customer punctuality and quality; not only for all services related to the certification of machinery, but also for the customer’s specific needs.
LEGISLATIVE CONTEXT
Art. I of Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC identifies the equipment considered “machinery” and establishes the essential safety and health requirements that must be respected. A machine is checked by applying one of the evaluation procedures described in art. 12, which indicates how the manufacturer should proceed in order to be able to place their products on the market.
CERTIFICATION PROCEDURES
Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC distinguishes between two groups of machinery contained in Annex IV:
The first group includes machinery that has not been manufactured in accordance with the harmonised standards or only partly in accordance with such standards. In this case, the manufacturer is obliged to request the intervention of a Notified Body to perform:
– the EC type-examination and internal checks on the manufacture of machinery;
– the full quality assurance procedure;
The second group includes machinery manufactured in accordance with the harmonized standards. In this case, the manufacturer can choose one of the following options:
– the procedure for assessment of conformity with internal checks on the manufacture of machinery;
– the EC type-examination and internal checks on the manufacture of machinery;
– the full quality assurance procedure;
For machinery not included in Annex IV where the intervention of a Notified Body is not necessarily required, the manufacturer can in any case voluntarily submit the machinery or technical report to be verified by a Notified Body, which will issue a certificate of compliance with the applicable rules or with the Directive, which proves useful should the manufacturer wish to affix the CE marking to their product and for marketing purposes.
ADDRESSEES OF THE DIRECTIVE
All machine manufacturers, importers and their agents are required to use the CE marking on products, to issue the declaration of conformity of the product, and to prepare the technical file of the product. For all “hazardous” machines included in the list in Annex IV of the Directive (e.g. people-lifting equipment, presses, saws, etc.), the manufacturer must satisfy the aforementioned requirements before putting the machinery on the market.