EU Machinery Directive – Have Your Say

Owners, operatives and manufacturers of powered access platforms are being invited to contribute to a public consultation on one of the European Union’s (EU) key safety laws.

The Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC was introduced in 1995 to ensure all new machinery that is manufactured and used in Europe, including powered access platforms,  has been  designed and assembled to meet common minimum European requirements for safety.

The consultation consists of an online questionnaire, available in six official languages of the European Union: German, English, Spanish, French, Italian and Polish.  IPAF members can sign in using the link on the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) website www.ipaf.org and give their views anytime during the 12 week consultation period which runs from 22 September until 16 December 2016.

About the Machinery Directive
The Machinery Directive supports free trade between EU member states, which still includes the UK, at least until Article 50 is evoked following the EU Referendum result in June 2016.

Setting common standards around health and safety for new products makes trading powered access platforms between countries easier. The rules also apply to many accessories for working at height including lifting accessories, chains, ropes and webbing, removable transmission devices and partly completed machinery.

In the UK these regulations are enforced by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for most industrial and professional products or by local trading standards services for consumer products.
Access equipment which is compliant with the directive will have the relevant paperwork to show it is compliant which means that the manufacturer has undergone an assessment process and met all relevant essential health and safety requirements (EHSRs).

About the Consultation
While the UK is still an EU member, industries that work in European countries are eligible to input on EU laws that affect them.The European Commission has invited citizens, companies, users (workers and consumers), public authorities, notified bodies, standardisation bodies and other interested parties to fill in the questionnaire and comment on the evaluation.

The results will be used to review the terms of the Directive in the future. IPAF members can also contact the federation if they require support or have any questions. To find out more go to www.ipaf.org before 16 December 2016.