Further to our last email-shot we have received an update on the latest position regarding the new Machinery safety standards from our contacts in the industry.

Please pay special attention to point 2 below.

1.  The Machinery Directive

As you are aware, the new Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC came into force on  29.12.2009.

This means that all newly built machinery or machinery put into service for the first time in the European Economic Area will, from now on, need to conform with the Essential Health and Safety  Requirements contained within this Directive. (Note: The old Machinery Directive 98/37/EC is now obsolete and can not be included on any future Declarations of Conformity / Incorporation.)

The UK implementation of the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC is called  "The Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008". It is a National Law.

2.    Machinery Safety Standards

With regards to the Safety Standard EN 954-1, which was originally supposed to be made obsolete on 29.12.2009 and superseded by the new Safety Standard EN ISO 13849-1, please note the following important information:

The transition period for EN954-1 to EN ISO 13849-1 is extended for TWO YEARS until DECEMBER 31st, 2011.

Until this date, machinery manufacturers and operators can apply either EN954-1 or EN ISO 13849-1 to gain presumption of conformity to the new  Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC (i.e. for safety-related control system design).

Should you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact us on 01908 364555 to talk to one of our technical representatives about this issue.

Regards,

Kay Willis
Marketing
More Control (UK) Ltd