EU Machinery Regulation Related Products

Start with the category definition, not the sales name. A retrofit attachment may be interchangeable equipment if the operator fits it after machinery is put into service to change or add a function, but a normal tool is outside that definition. A component is a safety component only when it is placed independently on the market for a safety function and its failure or malfunction would endanger persons.

Lifting accessories, lifting chains, lifting ropes, and lifting webbing should be checked against their lifting purpose and placement in the load path. Removable mechanical transmission devices need their own check because the Regulation treats a device placed on the market with its guard as one item.

Partly completed machinery is not a fallback category for unclear products. Use it where the assembly is not yet machinery because it cannot itself perform a specific application and is intended to be incorporated into or assembled with machinery, other partly completed machinery, or equipment.

That boundary changes the documentation package. Machinery and related products move through technical documentation, conformity assessment, EU declaration of conformity, CE marking, instructions for use, and product identification. Partly completed machinery uses technical documentation, EU declaration of incorporation, assembly instructions, and incorporation-facing identification.

For machinery and related products, the technical documentation should show the intended use, risk assessment, applicable essential health and safety requirements, protective measures, design drawings, standards or other technical specifications used, test and inspection evidence, production controls, instructions, declarations, and series-production measures.

For safety components and digital or software-enabled safety functions, preserve enough design, validation, version, and change-control evidence to explain the safety function and the consequences of failure. Where source code or programming logic is relevant to checking compliance, the Regulation allows competent authorities to request it when necessary.

Before a related product is placed on the market or put into service, confirm that the technical documentation exists, the relevant conformity assessment has been completed, the EU declaration of conformity is available, and the CE marking is affixed visibly, legibly, and indelibly unless the product nature requires packaging or accompanying-document placement.

Digital instructions can be used under the Regulation when the access route is marked, the user can print and download them, and they remain accessible online for the required period. For related products that may be used by non-professional users, essential safety information for putting the product into service and using it safely must be provided on paper.