CE MARKING

INDEX

CE CERTIFICATION: MACHINE MARKING

A tool to protect the Occupational Safety of the operator and to ensure the proper use of the technical apparatus, the CE machine identifier is a self-certification that the manufacturer issues at the same time as the device is manufactured. This attestation allows the machinery to circulate at the European market level. The affixing of the mark, obliges the same manufacturer to equip the machinery with all Safety Devices, useful to ensure compliance with the Technical Standard.

Since 1996, when the Machinery Directive, the European Technical Standard, came into effect, it has dictated milestones over the previous application of Technical Standards by manufacturers. With the latest update, Machinery Directive 42/2006/EC, obliges the establishment of a technical file, which considers the Hazard Analysis related to the commissioning of the production unit. It is therefore of paramount importance, to define the areas of application and interventions that ensure compliance with the Technical Standard.

ALMOST MACCHIMNA: WHAT IS

Where the manufacturer is called upon to produce a component of a Modular Structure Machine, the single element is referred to as a “Quasi Machine.” By definition, the individual element must lack independent functional capability, so it is considered on a par with a machine component. Following this principle, the Technical Standard specifies, that the Quasi Machine does not need CE Marking, since the same component falls under the evaluation of the whole machine according to the Machinery Directive 42/2006/EC.

The machinery as a whole will have its own CE Marking and its own instruction manual for use and maintenance. Likewise, the manufacturer is required to train personnel in the proper use of the overall machinery. The manufacturer of the Quasi Machine, can then limit himself to making a declaration of incorporation of the subunit, recalling the Essential Safety Requirements and Conformity to EC Directives.

CE Marking, thus indicates the following characteristics of the machinery:

1. Production year after 1996, i.e., machinery adaptation to the Machinery Directive.
2. Presence of an instruction manual for use and maintenance.
3. Risk Assessment, according to Technical Standards for Safety EN ISO 14120 (General Requirements for the Design and Construction of Shelters) and EN ISO 14119 (Interlocking Devices Associated with Shelters).

This implies that the intervention of the machine should be preceded by verification of the documentation. In addition to the necessary verification of the presence of CE Marking, it is necessary to check that the name of the manufacturer corresponds to what is expressed in the CE Declaration of Conformity.

The chapters on Safety and Residual Hazards should also be consulted in the owner’s manual. It is also necessary to check the Protection Systems and Safety Devices that they are properly installed.

A compulsory step when the machinery does not have CE Marking, the Perizia Asseverata is the sworn report that a technician makes regarding a technical-economic issue or to attest to the truth regarding a technical issue. This can ensure that the machinery complies with CE Marking and is the basic prerequisite for selling, renting, and remarketing a machine.

Drafted by an expert, this document can only be issued by a registered professional. Circulation of machinery without the relevant documentation can result in substantial economic and legal damages, both to the manufacturer and to the manufacturer, designer, and legal representative of the company. Penalties include both a fine alone and joint criminal penalties. Therefore, it is advisable to ensure machinery compliance by relying on professionals in the field.