The Machinery Directive originally came into force on the 1st January 1995. The latest version (2006/42/EC) came into force on the 29th December 2009, replacing 98/37/EC. This Directive applies to;
(a) machinery; Expand to see the definition of machinery...
(b) interchangeable equipment
(c) safety components(Indicative list of examples in Annex E of the Directive);
(d) lifting accessories;
(e) chains, ropes and webbing (for lifting purposes);
(f) removable mechanical transmission devices;
(g) partly completed machinery;
There are exceptions to the scope...
(a) safety components intended to be used as spare parts to replace identical components and supplied by the manufacturer of the original machinery;
(b) specific equipment for use in fairgrounds and/or amusement parks;
(c) machinery specially designed or put into service for nuclear purposes which, in the event of failure, may result in an emission of radioactivity;
(d) weapons, including firearms;
(e) the following means of transport:
- agricultural and forestry tractors for the risks covered by Directive 2003/37/EC, with the exclusion of machinery mounted on these vehicles,
- motor vehicles and their trailers covered by Council Directive 70/156/EEC of 6 February 1970 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the type-approval of motor vehicles and their trailers (1), with the exclusion of machinery mounted on these vehicles,
- vehicles covered by Directive 2002/24/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 March 2002 relating to the type-approval of two or three-wheel motor vehicles (2), with the exclusion of machinery mounted on these vehicles,
- motor vehicles exclusively intended for competition,
and
- means of transport by air, on water and on rail networks with the exclusion of machinery mounted on these means of transport;
(f) seagoing vessels and mobile offshore units and machinery
(g) machinery specially designed and constructed for military or police purposes;
(h) machinery specially designed and constructed for research purposes for temporary use in laboratories;
(i) mine winding gear;
(j) machinery intended to move performers during artistic performances;
(k) electrical and electronic products falling within the following areas, insofar as they are covered by Council Directive 73/23/EEC of 19 February 1973 on the harmonisation of the laws of Member States relating to electrical equipment designed for use within certain voltage limits (3):
- household appliances intended for domestic use,
- audio and video equipment,
- information technology equipment,
- ordinary office machinery,
- low-voltage switchgear and control gear,
- electric motors;
(l) the following types of high-voltage electrical equipment:
- switch gear and control gear,
- transformers