You are a manufacturer?

Then you should take the following steps:

1. Determine whether your product is a ‘machine’ and falls within the scope of the European Machinery Directive. Within the directive, the term ‘machinery’ goes beyond the strict meaning of the word.

2. Design and build the machine in accordance with the applicable
essential requirements of the directives and the state of the art. You should also prepare a user manual.

3. Compile a technical file for each type of machine. This file must demonstrate the conformity of the machine with the Machinery Directive and must be kept available to the authorities.

4. Checking whether your machine falls under Annex IV of the Machinery Directive. In this case you may have to appeal to a notified body such as Vinçotte before you can place the product on the market.

5. Draw up an EC declaration of conformity, to be supplied with each machine.

6. Affixing the CE marking and other required information on each copy of machine. Our machine safety experts can advise you in all these steps and suggest practical solutions to achieve a product in conformity with the Machinery Directive.

Are you an importer?

Make sure you only import machinery that bears a CE mark and is accompanied by an EC declaration of conformity according to machinery directive. If not, you run the risk of having to pay for (part of) these obligations yourself with the possible problems, associated with them. If the manufacturer guarantees that his machines comply with the applicable European
directives, it will still be best to exercise reasonable caution to ensure that only compliant machinery is placed on the European market. Among other things, as an importer, you have an obligation to place only safe machinery on the market and you are responsible for providing the documents in the correct language. Our machine safety experts can check for you whether the manufacturer has already fulfilled the necessary obligations and which obligations, if any, still have to be fulfilled by you as importer, so that you can import and distribute the products in Europe with peace of mind.

Are you building a machine for your own use?

In principle, the obligations concerning CE marking apply in full to anyone building a machine for their own use or assembling machines and/or machine parts for their own use. In this case, you become the manufacturer of the machine.
In addition to the obligations as a machine manufacturer, you must of course also comply with the rules applicable to machinery in use in Belgium, i.e. book IV: ‘Work equipment’ of the Codex well-being at work.

ATTENTION!

The Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC will be replaced by the Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 from 20 January 2027!