Machinery Directive
EU Directive 2006/42/EC (being replaced by the Machinery Regulation 2023/1230) that defines essential health and safety requirements for machinery placed on the EU market.
The Machinery Directive (2006/42/EC) sets out essential health and safety requirements (EHSRs) for machinery sold in the European Economic Area. A manufacturer must perform a risk assessment, design out hazards, mitigate residual risks, prepare technical documentation, issue a Declaration of Conformity, and affix the CE Marking.
Transition to the Machinery Regulation
Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 — the Machinery Regulation — replaces the Machinery Directive and becomes mandatory in January 2027. It introduces explicit provisions for AI in machinery, cybersecurity, and digital documentation. Manufacturers placing machinery on the EU market should be planning their transition now.
How Certificate Management Software Helps
The technical file for a machine includes risk assessments, design documentation, component conformity documents, certificates for safety-related parts, and the Declaration of Conformity itself. A centralized platform keeps these linked to the specific machine model (and its revisions), and makes the documentation pack instantly retrievable.
Who needs this?
Manufacturers, importers, and distributors of machinery placed on the EU market — and the integrators who combine machinery into assemblies.