Machinery Directive (98/37/Ec); Harmonized European Standards - Siemens SINUMERIK 840D sl Function Manual

05.08
1.2.1

Machinery Directive (98/37/EC)

With the introduction of a European Economic Area, a decision was made that the
domestic Standards and regulations of all of the EEA Member States – that are
involved with the technical implementation of machines – would be harmonized.
This means that the Machinery Directive had to be implemented – as an internal
market Directive – as far as the content was concerned – in the domestic legisla-
tion of the individual Member States. For the Machinery Directive, this was realized
with the objective to achieve standard protective goals thus removing trade barriers
resulting from technical differences. Corresponding to its definition "a machine is
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, Para-
graph 1.1.2):
a) "Machinery must be constructed that it is fitted for its functions, and can be
adjusted and maintained without putting persons at risk when these opera-
tions are carried out under the conditions foreseen by the manufacturer."
"The measures must...eliminate...any risks of accidents...!"
b) "When selecting the appropriate solutions, the manufacturer must apply the
following basic principles – and more precisely, in the specified sequence:
S Eliminate or minimize hazards (by integrating the safety concept into the
development and construction of the machine);
S Apply and use the necessary protective measures to protect against dan-
gers that cannot be avoided;
S Inform the user about the residual dangers due to the fact that the safety
measures applied are not completely effective."
The protective goals must be responsibly implemented in order to fulfill the require-
ments for conformity with the Directive.
The manufacturer of a machine must provide proof that his machine is in com-
pliance with the basic requirements. This proof is made more simple by applying
harmonized Standards.
1.2.2

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 pre-
cisely specify the requirements of the EC Directives for a specific product. These
Standards (EN Standards) are published in the Official Journal of the European
© Siemens AG 2008 All Rights Reserved
SINUMERIK 840D sl/SINAMICS S120 SINUMERIK Safety Integrated (FBSI sl) – 05.2008 Edition
Regulations and Standards
1.2 Safety of machinery in Europe
1-19