Machinery Directive (98/37/Ec); Harmonized European Standards - Siemens Sinamics S110 Function Manual

8.1.2.1

Machinery Directive (98/37/EC)

When the European common market was launched, a decision was made that the domestic
Standards and regulations of all of the EU Member States relating to the technical
implementation of machines would be harmonized. This meant that, as an internal market
Directive, the content of the Machinery Directive had to be implemented by the individual
member states as national legislation. For the Machinery Directive, this was realized with the
aim of achieving standard protective goals and, in turn, removing technical trade barriers. In
accordance with the definition of a machine ("an assembly of linked parts or components, at
least one of which moves"), this Directive is extremely extensive. The range of applications
was subsequently expanded to include "safety-related components" and "exchangeable
equipment" in the form of revision Directives.
The Machinery Directive involves the implementation of machines. It has 14 Articles and 7
Annexes. The basic safety and health requirements specified in Annex I of the Directive
must be fulfilled for the safety of machines. The manufacturer must carefully observe the
following principles when it comes to integrating safety (Annex I, Paragraph 1.1.2):
● "Machinery must be constructed in such a way that it can be operated, set up, and
● "When selecting the most appropriate methods, the manufacturer must apply the
The protective goals must be implemented responsibly to ensure compliance with the
Directive.
Manufacturers of a machine must verify that their machine complies with the basic
requirements. This verification is facilitated by means of harmonized standards.
8.1.2.2

Harmonized European Standards

The two Standards Organizations CEN (Comité Européen de Normalisation) and CENELEC
(Comité Européen de Normalisation Électrotechnique), which are mandated by the EU
Commission, have elaborated harmonized European Standards in order to detail the
requirements of the EU Directives for a specific product. These standards (EN standards)
are published in the official journal of the commission of the European Parliament and
Council and must be included without revision in domestic standards. They are designed to
fulfill basic health and safety requirements as well as the protective goals specified in Annex
I of the Machinery Directive.
When the harmonized standards are observed, it is "automatically assumed" that the
Directive is fulfilled. As such, manufacturers can assume that they have observed the safety
aspects of the Directive under the assumption that these are also covered in this standard.
However, not every European Standard is harmonized in this sense. Key here is the listing in
the official journal of the commission of the European Parliament and Council.
Drive functions
Function Manual, 10/2008, 6SL3097-4AB10-0BP0
maintained as part of its proper use without endangering personnel."
"The measures must exclude the risk of accidents."
following principles (in the order specified):
– Eliminate or minimize hazards (by integrating the safety concept into the development
and construction of the machine);
– Apply and use the necessary protective measures to protect against dangers that
cannot be avoided;
– Inform the user about the residual dangers due to the fact that the safety measures
applied are not completely effective."
Safety Integrated Functions
8.1 Standards and regulations
273