Machinery technical documentation

The technical file consists of the technical documentation necessary to demonstrate the conformity of the product to the essential requirements of the directives (LVD, EMC, Machinery, etc.)- It shall cover the design, manufacture, and operation of the product. The file may be in English or another EU language and should only address the safety/EMC issues, in other words, kept to a minimum. The contents of the file depend on the applicable directive, but in general consists of the following ... 

Machines and machinery systems within a material flow system must be designed so that their operation, settings, and maintenance, when performed in compliance with conditions defined by the technical documentation, are not hazardous to people and property. The aim of the measures implemented must be the elimination or reduction of risk of any negative event occurrence during the machinery technological lifespan, including assembly and disassembly, even under operating conditions that are not in compliance with technical requirements for the operation. 

The manufacturer or vendor works out technical documentation of compliance with the Machinery Directive... 

The manufacturer (or his representative) draws up a declaration of conformity and affixes an EC mark to the machinery. Before this can be done, the manufacturer has to document that the machinery meets the requirements in the Machinery Directives. This technical documentation... 

New machinery purchased by any member state must comply with the requirements of the Machinery Directive as evidenced by the CE mark on the equipment together with supporting documentation (technical file). This applies whether a machine is purchased from a UK manufacturer or imported from another EU member state. For machinery imported from a non-EU Member State, the importer is responsible for ensuring the machine has been manufactured to EU requirements and is accompanied by the appropriate documentation (technical file). 

General duties are put on suppliers of machinery to conform with these Regulations, whether the machine is manufactured in the UK or imported from a non-EU country (reg. 11). Documentary evidence, in the form of a technical file and certificates, is required to prove that the machinery conforms to the Regulations. The procedures for preparing the documentation are laid down and vary according to whether the machine is ... 

The documentation should be written in such a way as to be easily intelligible whosoever will refer to it. It should be user friendly and avoid the use of technical jargon as far as possible. Many safe operating procedures within industry are reproduced as summary sheets, which are on many occasions posted adjacent to or on the machinery to which they relate. 

Development of adequate technical information and documentation of machinery and equipment. 

Norsk Standard, 1996/97/98/99. Technical Safety (Norsok Standard S-001). Working Environment (Norsok Standard S-002). Environmental Care (Norsok Standard S-003). Machinery—Working Environment Assessment and Documentation (Norsok Standard S-005). Health, Safety and Environment During Construction (Norsok Standard S-CR-002), Risk and Emergency Preparedness Analysis (Norsok Standard Z-013). Norsk Standard, Oslo. 

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