Machinery Directive

Advisory service to assist clients in understanding the directive, especially the different approval procedures and excluded machinery.
Notified Body for

Refuse Collection Trucks
Guards and detachable transmission shafts with universal joints
Devices for lifting of persons involving a risk of falling from a vertical height of more than three metres.
Electro-sensitive devices designed to specifically detect persons in order to ensure their safety.
Logic units which ensure the safety of bi-manual controls.
Roll-over protection structures.
Falling-object protective structures.

Refuse Collection Vehicle

A vehicle used for the collection of domestic and bulky waste or recyclable materials based on loading via waste containers or by hand.

A RCV comprises a chassis with cab onto which the bodywork is mounted. The bodywork consists of two main parts, the body and the tailgate. It may be equipped with a container lifting device.

A compaction mechanism is a mechanism used to compact and transfer the waste from the hopper into the body by either a plate system sweeping the hopper or by a rotating screw movement.

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Transmission of power between self-propelled machinery (or tractor) and recipient machinery

Transmission shafts with universal joints linking self-propelled machinery (or tractor) to the first fixed bearing of recipient machinery must be guarded on the self-propelled machinery side and the recipient machinery side over the whole length of the shaft and associated universal joints.

On the side of the self-propelled machinery (or tractor), the power take-off to which the transmission shaft is attached must be guarded either by a screen fixed to the self-propelled machinery (or tractor) or by any other device offering equivalent protection.

On the towed machinery side, the input shaft must be enclosed in a protective casing fixed to the machinery.

Torque limiters or freewheels may be fitted to universal joint transmissions only on the side adjoining the driven machine. The universal-joint transmission shaft must be marked accordingly.

All towed machinery whose operation requires a transmission shaft to connect it to self-propelled machinery or a tractor must have a system for attaching the transmission shaft so that when the machinery is uncoupled the transmission shaft and its guard are not damaged by contact with the ground or part of the machinery.

The outside parts of the guard must be so designed, constructed and arranged that they cannot turn with the transmission shaft. The guard must cover the transmission shaft to the ends of the inner jaws in the case of simple universal joints and at least to the centre of the outer joint or joints in the case of 'wide-angle` universal joints.

Manufacturers providing means of access to working positions near to the universal joint transmission shaft must ensure that shaft guards as described in the sixth paragraph cannot be used as steps unless designed and constructed for that purpose.

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Risks of persons falling

Parts of the machinery where persons are liable to move about or stand must be designed and constructed to prevent persons slipping, tripping or falling on or off these parts. OR, If these measures are not adequate, carriers must be fitted with a sufficient number of anchorage points for the number of persons possibly using the carrier, strong enough for the attachment of personal protective equipment against the danger of falling.

Any trapdoors in floors or ceilings or side doors must open in a direction which obviates any risk of falling should they open unexpectedly.

Machinery for lifting or moving must be designed and constructed to ensure that the floor of the carrier does not tilt to an extent which creates a risk of the occupants falling, including when moving.

The floor of the carrier must be slip-resistant.

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Requirements for protection devices

Protection devices must be designed and incorporated into the control system so that:

moving parts cannot start up while they are within the operator's reach,

the exposed person cannot reach moving parts once they have started up,
they can be adjusted only by means of an intentional action, such as the use of a tool, key, etc.,
the absence or failure of one of their components prevents starting or stops the moving parts.

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Rollover protection

Where, in the case of self-propelled machinery with a ride-on driver and possibly ride-on operators, there is a risk of rolling over, the machinery must be designed for and be fitted with anchorage points allowing it to be equipped with a rollover protective structure (ROPS). This structure must be such that in case of rolling over it affords the ride-on driver and where appropriate the ride-on operators an adequate deflection-limiting volume (DLV).

In order to verify that the structure complies with the requirement laid down in the second paragraph, the manufacturer or his authorised representative established within the Community must, for each type of structure concerned, perform appropriate tests or have such tests performed.

In addition, the earth-moving machinery listed below with a capacity exceeding 15 kW must be fitted with a rollover protective structure:

crawler loaders or wheel loaders,
backhoe loaders,
crawler tractors or wheel tractors,
scrapers, self-loading or not,
graders,
articulated steer dumpers.

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Falling objects Protection

Where, in the case of machinery with a ride-on driver and possibly ride-on operators, there is a risk due to falling objects or material, the machinery should be designed for, and fitted with, if its size allows, anchorage points allowing it to be equipped with a falling-object protective structure (FOPS).

This structure must be such that in the case of falling objects or material, it guarantees the ride-on operators an adequate deflection-limiting volume (DLV).

Approval Procedures

For most machinery or safety components the responsible person must assemble a technical file.

For listed machinery or safety components manufactured in accordance with transposed harmonised standards the responsible person must follow the procedures below:

Provide a Notified Body with a copy of the Technical File for the Notified Body to record and keep.
Provide a Notified Body with a copy of the Technical File for the Notified Body to review and certificate.
Submit an example of the machinery or safety component to a Notified Body for EC type
examination.

For listed machinery or safety components not manufactured in accordance with transposed harmonised standards the responsible person must submit an example of the machinery or safety component to a Notified Body for EC type examination.

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Technical File

The application for EC type-examination shall be lodged by the manufacturer or by his authorised representative established in the Community, with a single notified body in respect of an example of the machinery.

The application shall include:

the name and address of the manufacturer or his authorised representative established in the Community and the place of manufacture of the machinery.
a technical file comprising at least:
- an overall drawing of the machinery together with drawings of the control circuits,
- full detailed drawings, accompanied by any calculation notes, test results, etc., required to check the conformity of the machinery with the essential health and safety requirements,
- a description of methods adopted to eliminate hazards presented by the machinery and a list of standards used,
- a copy of the instructions for the machinery,
- for series manufacture, the internal measures that will be implemented to ensure that the machinery remains in conformity with the provisions of the Directive.

It shall be accompanied by a machine representative of the production planned or, where appropriate, a statement of where the machine may be examined.

The documentation referred to above does not have to include detailed plans or any other specific information as regards the sub-assemblies used for the manufacture of the machinery unless knowledge of them is essential for verification of conformity with the basic safety requirements.

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Listed Machinery

Circular saws (single or multi-blade) for working with wood and analogous materials or for working with meat and analogous materials.
Sawing machines with fixed tool during operation, having a fixed bed with manual feed of the workpiece or with a demountable power feed.
Sawing machines with fixed tool during operation, having a manually operated reciprocating saw-bench or carriage.
Sawing machines with fixed tool during operation, having a built-in mechanical feed device for the work-pieces, with manual loading and/or unloading.
Sawing machines with movable tool during operation, with a mechanical feed device and manual loading and/or unloading.
Hand-fed surface planing machines for woodworking.
Thicknessers for one-side dressing with manual loading and/or unloading for woodworking.
Band-saws with a fixed or mobile bed and band-saws with a mobile carriage, with manual loading and/or unloading, for working with wood and analogous materials or for working with meat and analogous materials.
Combined machines of the types referred to in 1 to 4 and 7 for working with wood and analogous materials.
Hand-fed tenoning machines with several tool holders for woodworking.
Hand-fed vertical spindle moulding machines for working with wood and analogous materials.
Portable chainsaws for woodworking.
Presses, including press-brakes, for the cold working of metals, with manual loading and/or unloading, whose movable working parts may have a travel exceeding 6 mm and a speed exceeding 30 mm/s.
Injection or compression plastics-moulding machines with manual loading or unloading.
Injection or compression rubber-moulding machines with manual loading or unloading.
Machinery for underground working of the following types:
- machinery on rails: locomotives and brake-vans,
- hydraulic-powered roof supports,
- internal combustion engines to be fitted to machinery for underground working.
Manually-loaded trucks for the collection of household refuse incorporating a compression mechanism.
Guards and detachable transmission shafts with universal ?
Vehicles servicing lifts.
Devices for the lifting of persons involving a risk of falling from a vertical height of more than three metres.
Machines for the manufacture of pyrotechnics.

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Safety components

Electro-sensitive devices designed specifically to detect persons in order to ensure their safety (non-material barriers, sensor mats, electromagnetic detectors, etc.).
Logic units which ensure the safety functions of bimanual controls.
Automatic movable screens to protect presses
Roll-over protection structures (ROPS).
Falling-object protective structures (FOPS).

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Excluded Machinery

machinery whose only power source is directly applied manual effort, unless it is a machine used for lifting or lowering loads,
machinery for medical use used in direct contact with patients,
special equipment for use in fairgrounds and/or amusement parks,
steam boilers, tanks and pressure vessels,
machinery specially designed or put into service for nuclear purposes which, in the event of failure, may result in an emission of radioactivity,
radioactive sources forming part of a machine,
firearms,
storage tanks and pipelines for petrol, diesel fuel, inflammable liquids and dangerous substances,
means of transport, i.e. vehicles and their trailers intended solely for transporting passengers by air or on road, rail or water networks, as well as means of transport in so far as such means are designed for transporting goods by air, on public road or rail networks or on water. Vehicles used in the mineral extraction industry shall not be excluded,
seagoing vessels and mobile offshore units together with equipment on board such vessels or units,
cableways, including funicular railways, for the public or private transportation of persons,
agricultural and forestry tractors, as defined in Article 1(1) of Directive 74/150/EEC (7),
machines specially designed and constructed for military or police purposes,
lifts which permanently serve specific levels of buildings and constructions, having a car moving between guides which are rigid and inclined at an angle of more than 15 degrees to the horizontal and designed for the transport of:
- (i) persons;
- (ii) persons and goods;
- (iii) goods alone if the car is accessible, that is to say, a person may enter it without difficulty, and fitted with controls situated inside the car or within reach of a person inside,
means of transport of persons using rack and pinion rail mounted vehicles,
mine winding gear,
theatre elevators,
construction site hoists intended for lifting persons or persons and goods.