Safety Of Machinery In Europe; Harmonized European Standards - Siemens SINUMERIK Series Function Manual

9.2

Safety of machinery in Europe

9.2.1 Safety of machinery in Europe
The EU Directives that apply to the implementation of products are based on Article 95 of the
EU contract, which regulates the free exchange of goods. These are based on a new global
concept ("new approach", "global approach"):
● EU Directives only specify general safety goals and define basic safety requirements.
● Technical details can be defined by means of standards by Standards Associations that
have the appropriate mandate from the commission of the European Parliament and
Council (CEN, CENELEC). These standards are harmonized in line with a specific directive
and listed in the official journal of the commission of the European Parliament and Council.
Legislation does not specify that certain standards have to be observed. When the
harmonized Standards are observed, it can be assumed that the safety requirements and
specifications of the Directives involved have been fulfilled.
● EU Directives specify that the Member States must mutually recognize domestic
regulations.
The EU Directives are equal. This means that if several Directives apply for a specific piece
of equipment or device, the requirements of all of the relevant Directives apply (e.g. for a
machine with electrical equipment, the Machinery Directive and the Low-Voltage Directive
apply).
9.2.2

Harmonized European Standards

The two Standards Organizations CEN (Comité Européen de Normalisation) and CENELEC
(Comité Européen de Normalisation Électrotechnique), mandated by the EU Commission,
drew-up harmonized European standards in order to precisely specify the requirements of the
EC 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.
European standards relating to the safety of machinery are structured in a hierarchical manner
as follows:
● A standards (basic standards)
● B standards (group standards)
● C standards (product standards)
Safety Integrated
Function Manual, 10/2015, 6FC5397-3EP40-5BA3
Standards and specifications
9.2 Safety of machinery in Europe
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