The new edition of the European Guide to Machinery Directive

The 2.1 edition of the Guide to Machinery directive 2006/42/EC was published on the European Commission’s website last July. (G.U.E. no. C183 of 9 June 2017)

The second European directive edition, which regulates the use of machinery, has been in force since 29 December 2009 (the first dates back to 1989): workers’ health and safety and free movement of machinery in the European common market are at the centre of crucial regulatory importance.

The Guide provides clarification on many key concepts contained in the directive in a way that ensures homogeneous application throughout Europe. The European Guide has no legal validity and the new version is currently only available in English. Nevertheless, it represents an essential element of evaluation to become part of the procedure of supervisory bodies, and by the market as the interpretative and applicative reference point that all players must know, from machinery manufacturers to distributors and importers, from notified bodies to the health and standardisation authorities, up to the market and administrative supervisory authorities.

The guideline can be downloaded from the following link:

http://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/mechanical-engineering/machinery_it