p42-43_IT_February:RHP IT 3/2/09 12:49 Page 42

MACHINE BUILDING & AUTOMATION

Getting to grips
with the Machinery
Directive’s third
amendment
When the reworked Machinery Directive
comes into force in December, will your
business still be compliant, asks Paul
Laidler, MD of Laidler Associates
he Machinery Directive has definition such as “an assembly of

Vision Technology Exhibition

T been around for a long time.
It was originally implemented
in the UK by the Supply of
Machinery (Safety) Regulations 1992
and the Supply of Machinery (Safety)
linked parts or components at least
one of which moves, with the
appropriate actuator, control and
power circuits, joined together for a
specific application, in particular for
(Amendment) Regulations 1994. the processing, treatment, moving or
Seven years later, proposals for a packaging of a material,” covers most
Third Amendment to the Machinery applications. Incidentally, machinery

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previous amendments, there is no This would appear to be fairly
transitional period for compliance. straightforward, but reading the Scope
This new Directive has some radical of the Directive soon changes your
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and users may not yet be aware, such as safety components, lifting
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quickly if the December compliance webbing. New inclusions further
deadline is to be hit. expand the scope to include devices
The event showcases: To assess how your particular for the lifting of persons with reduced
business is to be affected, it’s useful to mobility and construction site hoists
Vision systems look more closely at what constitutes amongst others. It goes without saying
a machine under the directive. A that the physical care and protection
Software
rather dry but comprehensive of employees and customers should
Cameras and components

Image processing systems

Associated identification and inspection technology

Photonics and optical technologies

Co-located with:

www.advancedmanufacturinguk.com
10907_UK_VTX09

42 More details: Write in 420 on the free information card INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY • February 2009
p42-43_IT_February:RHP IT 3/2/09
be the first consideration when
business owners install and operate
machinery. So it’s forgivable here to
concentrate on the business
implications of the various and
sometimes quite stringent demands of
the rules and regulations imposed by
the Directive.
So when you ask the question:
“Why do we have to comply?” it’s best
to take as a given the answer:
“Because if we don’t, our employees
may be horribly injured.” Instead,
think of the business answer, which is:
“Because all of the European directives
are brought into UK law by the issue of
Regulations, which means that if you
don’t comply you are committing a
criminal offence punishable by fines
and possibly imprisonment.”
Demonstrating compliance
Better, then, to ask: “How do we
comply?” The quick answer is:
G Demonstrate compliance with the
essential health and safety
requirements
G Carry out the appropriate
conformity assessment procedure
G Draw up and issue the Declaration
of Conformity or Incorporation.
G Apply the CE Mark.
If you are creating a complex
assembly, such as a production line,
by interlinking a series of existing
machines, you are in effect creating
something new – so the whole
assembly must comply with the
Directive. Similarly, altering the
function or performance of a machine
or complex assembly is also essentially
creating a new machine, which must
comply.
The new Directive comes into play
for this scenario if you are at the start
of a project building an assembly,
where the finish date is either towards
the end of the year or into the New
February 2009 • INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY
12:49 Page 43
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Answers to
your questions
As with all new legislation, this latest
amendment to the Machinery Directive places
a necessary yet still burdensome requirement
on businesses of all sizes and in all sorts of
sectors. At Industrial Technology we are
always keen to hear our readers’ views, so do
let us know what you think of the latest
changes to the Machinery Directive.
Is it a welcome move, in that anything
that improves health and safety can only be a
good thing if it protects employees AND
enhances your company’s reputation? Or is it
simply more red tape? Do you have the
expertise in-house to carry out the necessary
risk assessments and make the changes you
need, or would you prefer to outsource the
task of making sure that you’re completely up
to date, properly informed and ultimately
compliant?
We will be covering Machinery Directive
in later issues too, so let us have your
questions and views. Contact us by email via
feedback@itmagazine.uk.com.
Year. If this is the case, you may need
to start the project now using the new
Directive as you will not be able to
produce a final declaration under the
current Directive after December 29th.
A second scenario that will affect
the validity of your company’s
compliance is where products have
been series manufactured, having
been CE Marked at the start of the
series production. The Declarations
will no longer be valid so whole
product ranges will need to be
recertified in time for the
changeover of Directives.
NEW
MORE INFORMATION: Now available in stainless steel.
Enter M425 or visit ‘latest issue stories’ at
www.industrialtechnology.co.uk for further
details from Laidler Associates T: 01256 365605
E: info@minitec.co.uk www.minitec.co.uk
More details: Write in 430 on the free information card 43